Melting Frost
by Chakat StarDust
Summary: After many months Loki escapes the punishment Odin bestowed upon him and falls to earth, wounded deeply. His arrival does not go unnoticed and he finds himself in the care and company of a rather unusual young woman. Can the God of Mischief match wits with the one known as the Ageless?
1. Chapter 1

Star: So this is my first Avengers fic, of course inspired by the movie, which was kick-ass. Anyways, I own nothing but the plot and my OCs, the rest belongs to Marvel and whoever produced the movie. On with the tale!

Asgardian justice, Loki thought wearily to himself, pulling himself out of the abyss that he had been chained in. He sank to his knees as he did so, breathing heavily, trying to ignore the pain of his wounds. How long had he been in the dark, being bitten and having poison dripped on him by that gigantic snake, he didn't know.

He crawled, past caring about his dignity, not that anyone was likely to see him, here at the very edges of Asgard. No, they'd likely all forgot about him, certain that he would never be able to escape his torment. His teeth flashed in a snarling grin at the thought. He wasn't the god of mischief for nothing, now was he?

He stood up shakily, hissing in pain. His wounds would heal on their own, but he didn't have the time or the strength to do that now. He needed to get away, somewhere they couldn't find him easily. His teeth bared in a snarl as he contemplated his options, knowing the only real place he could get away was in Midgard.

The thought of being around the appalling humans while he didn't have the strength to do anything about them disgusted Loki, but he couldn't stay in Asgard. There was also the Avengers to worry about, but even they weren't omnipotent or omnipresent. As long as he was careful until coming back to full strength...

An unwelcome thought intruded in his disoriented mind. Thor's face as Odin had made his proclamation and Loki had been dragged away. Loki desperately tried to banish the look of helpless agony that the god of thunder had been wearing; it brought up too much pain. Thor was not his brother, he didn't care about Thor, at least that was what he told himself over and over.

He tottered unsteadily, heading towards the Bifrost, the gate between the worlds. He would have to sneak through, but that wouldn't be too hard for him, even in his weakened state. He could not teleport, not this weak, but he managed to distract Heimdall long enough with a couple of well-thrown pebbles to sneak around him.

The gate activated and suddenly Loki was falling. He'd forgotten to think of where he wanted to go. Lights, stars and city lights danced around him as he spun, unable to slow or stop his descent to the ground. The wind whipping past him stole his breath and he could feel his consciousness fading moment by moment.

That was until exquisite pain seemed to explode in him as he struck the ground, slightly less hard than he thought he would. He struggled, finding himself caught in something cold, wet and white; snow. He managed to roll himself over in the snow bank when his strength finally failed him. He stared up, his vision going blurry as his breath came out in quick pants.

He was cold, how could he be cold? He was a frost giant after all. Yet the chill continued to creep through his limbs, making him shiver and his teeth chatter. If he didn't get out... he was having trouble keeping a hold of that thought as his sight dimmed slowly.

There was the soft sound of footsteps nearby and a blurred shape came into being above him, blotting out the stars. "Now what trouble has been brought to my doorstep?" An unfamiliar voice asked. The sound seemed to echo strangely and Loki felt his eyes roll back as the darkness finally claimed him.

%&%&%&%

Thor stared broodingly down at the darkened city below. Stark's tower, which had been converted to the Avengers headquarters, had one of the most impressive views, but tonight he wasn't even contemplating it. His father had gotten in contact with him, and now he had news to share that none of the others were going to like.

His brother, Loki, had escaped. He thought of this news with a mixture of trepidation, and relief. He had argued long and bitterly with his father on Loki's punishment, the whole mess in Midgard had not been entirely Loki's doing after all, but his father had ignored him and doled out a fierce punishment. That had been months ago now, and thankfully Thor's attention had been taken up by villains such as Doom, Magneto and even today some villain had tried to turn the city into a frozen wasteland. The temperature still hadn't quite warmed up and there were piles of snow in the streets. Thankfully they would be gone by morning.

Now though, now he thought of Loki, he thought of his brother who had turned his back on him. He recalled their childhood, the fun times they'd had and the times they'd gotten in trouble for the fun times they had. He recalled that impish twinkle that used to be in Loki's eyes, that now seemed to have dimmed.

Loki had found out about his true parentage, why he never seemed to be enough for Odin, and he had turned his back on Asgard. Not completely true, Thor decided, all of his actions since then had been to prove that he was as good as the rest of them, that perhaps he was even better. After all, his aim to rule Midgard was to prove he was just as capable of being a king as Odin was, or as Thor would someday be.

He sighed and turned away from the window, knowing he had to tell the others sooner or later, and the more time he waited was more time for Loki to come up with another one of his schemes. "JARVIS?"

**Yes sir?** Thor had yet to get used to the house talking. He knew it was the computer, and that it was an AI program that was very nearly human, but in his mind, inanimate objects should not be able to talk back to you like a person.

"Assemble the Avengers in the meeting room, Fury too, I have something to tell them." He said.

**Yes sir. **Thor sighed and made his way to the meeting room, trying to push thoughts of his brother away. He should have fought harder for him, maybe shouldn't have pushed him so hard to come back, should have... There were so many things he should have done. There was no time for that now though.

He sat down at the table and the rest of the team filtered in. Clint, Hawkeye, ever watchful and stoic. Natasha, the Black Widow, deadly and unforthcoming about her own past. Tony; the Iron Man, the unrepentant playboy and lifesaving genius. Steve; Captain America, fearless leader and well-mannered and do-gooder as they came. Bruce, occasionally the Hulk, quiet, reserved, as much of a genius as Tony but not as arrogant about it. And then there was Fury, the leader of SHIELD. Thor didn't like him sometimes, the man's methods were often draconian and he didn't believe in second chances or mercy. He dreaded what he would have to say about Loki.

"What's this about, Thor?" Steve asked, straight to the point.

"I received a message from my father just now, he had some grave news." Thor found it hard to force the words out, but everyone was waiting expectantly. "Loki has escaped."

Chaos erupted, as he'd predicted. Everyone was trying to shout over each other, accusations, ideas and I-told-you-so's flying through the air. Thor could see Bruce keeping out of it, breathing evenly to prevent the Hulk from making an appearance.

"We should have killed him when we had the chance." Clint stated, his cutting voice silencing everyone.

"He is still my brother." Thor reminded him angrily. Clint gave him an unimpressed look.

"A brother that nearly destroyed the world." He replied shortly. "How the hell did he escape anyways? I thought you Asgardians had some sure way of containing him."

"Loki has always had a talent of getting himself out of tight situations." Thor said, managing to hide the pride he felt for his younger brother.

"Once we catch him, we decide what to do with him, since your fellows cannot seem to keep him under lock and key." Fury stated, making Thor bristle at the slight to his brethren.

"Do you have any idea of where he might go?" Steve asked before Thor could say something back to the director. Thor shook his head.

"I do not think Loki ever planned to need somewhere to hide and I don't think he was in Midgard long enough to really know any place where he could hide away from us." He explained. He didn't mention that the punishment would have left Loki weak and probably extremely disoriented. He wanted Loki to have a fighting chance, and he wanted to find Loki before anyone else did. "It's late, and by now he's probably holed up somewhere, but he'll have to come out for food eventually."

"I think Thor's right." Bruce said. "Way too many places he could be hiding. Best thing to do would be to figure out a way to narrow down the places he could be."

"Any way to track Asgardian magic that we know of?" Tony put in.

"It would likely leave a unique signature if any, so if we can figure out how to detect it..." Bruce added. The two geniuses began to talk in earnest, making plans and starting to draw out diagrams and numbers on a pad of paper. The rest of the team left them to it, figuring they'd come down to breakfast tired, but with some brilliant idea all worked out. It was interesting that two such different personalities worked so well together.

Once he was certain that the rest were in bed he went to the roof and flew out over the city, starting his search early. He growled and ground his teeth together, when he found Loki he was determined to smack some sense into him. He was going to get his brother, the one that got them both into trouble with his tricks but always managed to make him laugh, back no matter what it took!

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Star: Well there you have it, first chapter of my first Avengers fic. Drop a review and let me know how it sounds so far!


	2. Chapter 2

Star: Second chapter, and the introduction of who found Loki, for those who haven't read any of my other stories and figured it out already. I own nothing but plots and characters of my own creation, so let's get on with this.

Thor stared moodily down at his French toast. His efforts last night had borne no fruit, and by this point Loki would have found somewhere to hide himself, and if there was one thing Loki was good at, it was hiding. _If he's not succumb to his injuries, that is. _An uncomfortable voice whispered to him. There was always that, too. If Loki couldn't heal...

He shook his head and tried to pay more attention to what Bruce and Tony were prattling on about. Judging by the oversized mugs of coffee and the dark bags around their eyes, they'd gotten no sleep, as Thor had predicted.

"So, we came up with plans for a device that would detect Loki's magic, only we discovered," Bruce yawned widely. "Excuse me."

"We realized that we didn't have any of Loki's magic to provide a blueprint for the device to work with." Tony said, a little more animated. "Thanks to my incredible genius, I think we have a solution. Thor, you work some of your magic whatever, and we record it to give the device something to go on."

"Loki's magic and mine are not the same." Thor pointed out. Tony waved a hand at him.

"We know, we know, but you're magic gives us something to go on, and we can program the device to recognise similar and other unusual energy patterns using yours." Tony smirked. "Machines are only as smart as the person programming them after all, right JARVIS?"

**There is Dummy to think about, sir. **The AI replied. **Although he might also be an accurate representation of his creator's intelligence. **

"Hey!" Tony protested. "Don't forget I made you too!"

**So sorry sir, shall I compose a sonnet to show my gratitude?**

Thor shook his head as Tony grumbled about his smart-mouthed computer. "So we create this device, and then what? Search every city on the globe?" Thor asked.

"We should think of places he might find to be good to hide." Steve interjected, his 'military' voice on. "This city is probably a good place to start, as he knows it. Start with the places he's been before and then branch out from there, places that remind him of home, that offer protection from us, where he can blend in with a crowd, things like that."

"And what were we planning on doing when we found him?" Natasha asked, playing idly with a knife.

"Personally I think we should put an arrow through his skull and be done with it." Clint muttered, his eyes flinty. Of all of them, he had the most reason for hatred.

"He is still my brother." Thor reminded him once again. Clint stared at him, his stoic face revealing nothing.

"Remember that when the world is burning around us because of him, why don't you." He said softly. Natasha briefly squeezed his hand, giving him a meaningful look.

"We'll go tell Fury what we have in mind." She said, her voice a soft command to Clint. Clint stared hard at Thor a moment longer before allowing himself to be led away.

Thor folded his arms and glared at the rest of them, daring them to say anything. "Clint's right, we have to be prepared to do what must be done." Steve said pragmatically. "Even if it is hard."

"And how would you feel if it were your brother, a person you'd grown up with?" Thor demanded. "You only see the monster, I remember who Loki really is." Steve cast him a sympathetic look.

"Yes, Thor, I understand. But, does that man still exist?"

%&%&%&%

Loki struggled out of darkness that tried to pull him back into its cloying embrace. When the pain finally hit him again, he gritted his teeth and forced his eyes open. He immediately closed them again, finding the light too bright. A noise somewhere between a growl and a groan escaped him as the throbbing in his head and various other parts of his body intensified. His skin felt overly hot and stretched too tight across his frame.

A cool, damp cloth brushed across his forehead, skating down his cheekbones and then pressing against his throat, easing the heat for just a moment. "That's it, just relax." The mellow voice was soothing and... unfamiliar. His eyes shot open and he bolted upright, ignoring the dizziness the movement caused. "Stay down." The voice ordered. Loki ignored it and tried to struggle out of the bed he was in. "Stay. Down."

This time the command was laced with magic, forcing his body to obey. Loki almost fought it off successfully, but he was still too weak and he fell back against the pillow, glaring as he searched for the one holding him captive.

"You may have me trapped for now, but when my magic comes back in full strength-"

"By that point you should be healed enough to move about without injuring yourself further, so my intervention will not be needed." The young woman sitting by his bed interrupted, her tone that of a mother explaining something to a small child.

Loki narrowed his eyes at her, but her own aqua blue eyes merely stared back, unimpressed. She looked young, early twenties at the most, but her short, fluffy white hair was a snowy white. Loki stared, and then stared some more when he noticed the large, wolfish ears that poked through her halo of hair in place of normal, human ears.

"What manner of creature are you?" He asked suspiciously. She chuckled, showing off pointed canines in her upper and lower jaw.

"Nothing special, I can assure you, Loki." She replied, her eyes dancing with merriment.

"How do you know my name?" Loki demanded.

"Everyone knows who you are, Loki." She answered. "Oh, where are my manners, I am Kia Quickpaw." She bowed her head and folded her ears back in greeting. "You crash-landed in front of my shop and so I took you in, you are not my prisoner, once I feel satisfied that you are well, you are free to leave."

She stood, preventing Loki from questioning her further and left the room. Loki could see now she was rather petite, her black slacks, un-tucked white button up shirt and grey pinstriped vest accentuating her slim figure. He could see the long sleek ponytail that started at the nape of her neck, and the white wolf's tail that extended out from her backside. "Nothing special indeed." He muttered grumpily.

The wolf-girl came back in, bearing a bowl whose aroma made Loki's stomach growl and a small jar of some sort. "Would you rather eat first, or let me put more ointment on your wounds first?" Kia asked calmly. "It helps with the pain and makes them heal faster." She explained. That piqued Loki's interest; the faster he was out of this bed, the better.

"Ointment first." He ordered haughtily. Kia raised a slim white eyebrow at him and took the quilt laying over his body and slid it off him. It was then that Loki realized he was completely and utterly naked. His whole body tensed up, he didn't like feeling vulnerable. Blue eyes danced with amusement at his warning expression.

"Are you shy, God of Mischief?" She teased him. "Tis nothing I've never seen before. I was sort of expecting something a little more... impressive." Loki flushed in embarrassment and rage at that.

"I did not ask the opinion of a lowly creature such as yourself." He spat.

"Easy now," Kia soothed, beginning to rub ointment into the large bite marks and lacerations in his skin. "For a God of Mischief, you don't have much of a sense of humour." Loki opened and then shut his mouth, completely at a loss. "Roll over please." She instructed, pushing on his arm. Without really thinking Loki obeyed and then tensed up again as her small hands rubbed the ointment into wounds in his back.

Although he despised being in such an exposed position, the ointment did seem to be doing its job, soothing away the pain and replacing it with warmth. "You can roll back now." Loki did so and pulled the quilt back over his body, throwing her a poisonous glare, which only seemed to amuse her further. Damn it, he should have been the one smirking like that, not some strange half-human, half-beast girl-child!

"I'm assuming you're well enough to feed yourself?" Loki practically snatched the bowl of hot soup away from the girl, determined to retain at least a little bit of his dignity. He ate quickly, having had almost no food when he was captive. Once he was finished he felt his eyes grow heavy.

"What did you put in my soup, witch?" He demanded, fighting back a yawn.

"I prefer the term sorceress." She informed him lightly. "And there was nothing in that soup other than some herbs to help along your recovery. Your body needs rest and with a hot meal in you it's no wonder you're tired again."

Loki didn't want to give in, trying to force his eyes to stay open. A small hand smoothed his sweat-soaked hair away from his face and though he wanted to protest the motion, he found his eyes closing against his will in reaction to the gentle touch.

"Rest." Kia's voice was kind, almost motherly. "No harm will come to you in this place." The feel of her knuckles softly brushing the skin of his cheek followed him into slumber.

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Star: Review plz!


	3. Chapter 3

Star: Yet another chapter, yet another day that I do not own the Avengers, le sigh.

Loki sat up in the bed, relieved that the pain of his body had subsided some since he'd last been awake. His head no longer pounded and the throbbing pain had faded to an ache with twinges of stabbing pain when he moved too quickly. He still felt that his body was still too weak to attempt to wander around, so he did not bother.

He took a look around the room he was in, trying to figure out by the decorations just where he was. It was a futile task, as the wall hangings and figurines, vases were all clearly of different origins, and looked positively ancient. There were various boxes and odds and ends stacked in corners. He had a window, which only showed him the view of some back alley, meaning he was in some city, which really didn't give him much to go by.

"So, you've rejoined the world of the living again, have you?" Loki's muscles tensed as Kia walked into the room. He was still at her mercy, and despite her reassurances, he did not trust her not to stab him in the back at the right moment, give him over the Avengers, or to the masses that he'd tried to bring to their knees. "Let's have a look at you."

"Get away!" Loki ordered as she pulled the blanket down. He had enough power to create a clone and would have her neck in his hands, but she spun and caught the wrists of his clone, peering up at it.

"Interesting magic trick." She said. "Now can I please get on with my examination?" The clone disappeared, and Loki gasped at the drain that it had caused him. "Perhaps you should save that for when you're a little stronger, hmm?"

"When I am, you'd best watch your back." He hissed at her.

"You will have to do better than that; I could feel your magic a mile away I think. Such a peculiar feeling." She mused softly. "Then again, you are not of this world."

"You can feel my magic?" Loki demanded with a sinking feeling. How was he to do anything to her if she could do that? She inclined her head in the affirmative.

"I can feel the energy of it, not just yours, but all who use magic. I have the Sight, though I can only feel 'disturbances in the Force'."

"What does that mean?"

"Disturbances in the Force is a pop culture reference. When it comes to me it means that I am not blessed with visions, rather I can sense that something is about to happen, and whether it may be for ill or for good. When these things come to pass, or what they may be is something I do not know." Kia shook her head. "It can be quite frustrating because I never know if it is going to affect me."

"Did you feel the-"

"Your army coming to decimate this city? Yes. Like a heavy cloud over the city, for weeks. I was quite snappish for that time." Kia frowned slightly. "My shop was completely jammed packed with my customers looking for protection from the battle. Had to fix a few shelves, Minotaurs are not always very careful about where they step you know."

"If I so inconvenienced you," Loki sneered. "Why did you help me?"

"Because of all the places in the Nine Realms you could have ended up, you ended up on my doorstep." Kia answered seriously.

"Bah, coincidence." Kia's eyes stared into him, and he got the eeriest sensation, like she was staring into his soul.

"I have been around long enough to believe there is no such thing as coincidence." She informed him quietly.

"You, a mere girl, feel you've been alive long enough to come to that conclusion?" Loki laughed cruelly at the thought. His laughter died in his throat as she continued to stare into him, and suddenly her aqua eyes seemed ancient.

"Things are not always as they appear, you should know that, should you not?" She asked.

"Then how old are you?" Loki demanded. Kia chuckled softly.

"There are two things you don't ask a woman, her weight and her age." Loki glared at her. "As I said before, a sense of humour would not be out of place, God of Mischief. But, best I can estimate, I have been on this earth since about 3400BCE, which would put me at about 5400 years old."

"You're lying." Loki accused.

"I do not lie unless it is to protect myself or those I care about." Kia shrugged her shoulders. "If you were to stick around you would wind up hearing many tales and legends about me, it's best that you find out from the source I suppose."

"How on earth is that possible?"

"There is a spell." Kia said simply. "One of the downsides of said spell is that I can no longer switch between my human form and my wolf form and am stuck like this." She tugged at one of her ears. "Ah well, tis worth it." One of her ears flicked back, as though she'd heard something. "You will have to excuse me, I do believe I have a customer."

She swept out of the room and Loki frowned at her retreating back. She was a curious creature, a puzzle, for all that she had been honest about herself. He could not seem to get into her head the way he could others, he could not make her pleasant manner falter. He would have to change that, find what pushed her buttons. It would be an interesting challenge while he recovered and figured out how to best exact his revenge on the Avengers.

%&%&%&%

"Nothing, nada, zilch." Director Fury growled, throwing down the reports that all said the same thing; Loki had not appeared anywhere. "How hard could it be to find a person everyone's looking for and whom, according to Thor, should be desperately weak from his Asgardian punishment?" he shot a suspicious look at Thor with his last comment.

"Loki is clever, if he could escape his punishment and Asgard without being detected, he could certainly hide himself away in his condition." Thor replied, meeting the Director's eyes steadily. "It is not wise to underestimate my brother."

"So what are you suggesting?" Clint demanded. "Wait until he makes the first move? Kills more people? I keep saying-"

"I know what you keep saying and I disagree, just as I disagreed with Odin's punishment." Thor interrupted. "Loki is not evil, but he is not quite sane, and what my father did helped nothing. Unlike all of you I remember the man Loki once was, and I believe that man is still in there. Until I am convinced that I cannot bring him back, I will not allow Loki to die."

He and Clint stared each other down, each unwilling to see the point of the other's argument. "This isn't helping." Steve interjected. "Brother or not, Thor, we need to bring him in before he causes anymore damage. Can you think of anything he'd be likely to do first."

"Vengeance." Thor admitted. "Loki has always been one to hold grudges and since we were the ones who ensured his imprisonment and torture, we will likely be the first to feel his wrath."

"That's kind of a good thing, actually." Natasha said, playing with a small knife. "If he comes after us he's playing right into our hands."

"You think he hasn't thought of that?" Tony asked. "I mean he's pretty clever, not a genius like myself of course, but he's clever enough to know that we're probably looking for him."

"Tony's right." Bruce piped up. "He's been defeated by us once, he's going to be a lot more wary, especially of the Hulk." Tony smirked, remembering what the Hulk had done to Loki during the battle.

"So what you're saying is that we have no secret weapon this time around." Steve said slowly. "Well, at least he doesn't have an army this time." Director Fury looked grave.

"Not yet." He said. "If we let him run loose for too long..."

"If he uses his magic, we'll know." Tony said confidently. "I've locked in several satellites and we should be able to tell anywhere in the world when he does use it."

"I hope you're right, I'd rather find him before he finds us." Clint said, standing up. "I'm going to do some sparring, anyone want to join me?"

"I'll come." Steve agreed, standing as well. He gave Thor a pointed look as he left.

"You know why Clint is so angry, right?" Natasha's voice whispered in his ear. He marvelled at her ability to move so silently.

"I do understand, but his feelings do not change mine." Thor replied stubbornly.

"You two better not knock each other's heads in then." She said, and then swept past him. Thor sighed, wondering how well the team was going to work together by the time this was done.

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Star: Review plz!


	4. Chapter 4

Star: Here we go again; I own nothing but the plot and my OCs, so let's get on with the story.

Loki slid out of bed, warily looking around for any traps the wolf-girl may have laid for him. The chair by his bed had some clothes draped over them, mortal clothes. Loki wrinkled his nose in distaste, but there didn't seem to be any alternative at the moment, so he pulled on the dark green button-up shirt and the snug fitting jeans. He caught his reflection in the mirror and decided that as distasteful as the garments were, they seemed to suit his body.

He peered cautiously out of the room he was in and found himself looking out into a short, brightly lit hallway. He stepped out, bare-footed, and padded quietly along. A room on the other side of the hall was revealed to be another bedroom, this one piled high with even more boxes and such than his own room. He guessed it was Kia's room and would have stopped to poke around if he wasn't already trying to get somewhere.

He left that room and continued down the short hall, emerging in a cozy living room with an open kitchen attached. Kia didn't appear to be around, though there was a mug, a bowl and a glass coated with a dark reddish substance standing by the sink. Loki looked around and saw an open door with a flight of stairs leading down it on the other side of the room.

He stared down it, seeing that it led off into another room downstairs. He silently walked down and peeked out suspiciously. The room was a shop, though it was the strangest shop he'd ever seen. The floors were polished dark wood and the shelves, walls and bookcases were filled with the most outlandish vials, books, amulets, feathers, teeth and other eccentric items for which Loki had no names. A crystal chandelier lent light to the darkened interior, for the curtains were drawn on the window. The shop smelled of must and exotic spices.

His head turned and he found Kia sitting at a large hardwood desk in the corner, speaking to a...dragon? At least, that was the closest thing Loki could think that the creature was. Its scales were bright red and it had a shaggy mane of silvery hair down its long, slender neck. It stood seven feet tall on two digitigrade legs with feet that ended in lethal claws. It had a stately bearing, dressed in dark slacks and a waistcoat, its tail twitching in the air with a life of its own and leathery wings folded primly against its back. Clawed hands rested on the handle of a jewelled cane.

Kia noticed him and smiled. The dragon turned, regarding him calmly with yellow, slit-pupil eyes. "I see you've been taking in strays again." It said in a strong baritone, revealing the creature to be male.

"It is one of my specialties, Tarren." Kia replied, chuckling softly. "Loki, may I introduce Tarren of the Mindspell clan, an old friend." Tarren bowed his head to Loki, but Loki refused to return the gesture. Tarren snorted and thin tendrils of smoke curled up from his nostrils.

"God you may be, but appear to lack the wisdom to show respect for one who has taken you in and refused the councils orders to have you handed over to the Avengers." Tarren informed him, walking over, his claws clicking on the floor. He poked at Loki's chest with his cane. "Be warned, Kia is infamous in supernatural culture. If anything were to happen to her, there is not a place in the Multiverse that could hide you from our collective wrath."

Loki swatted the cane away from himself. "You puny mortal creatures think that you can destroy me?"

"For all your cleverness you seem not to have wisdom." Tarren commented. "The sparrow may be weaker than the hawk, but a swarm can bring down the predator. Good day Quickblade." He said, bowing to Kia. Kia made a face at him, which he chuckled at and then headed to the door. As he opened the door his form flickered and in its place stood a tall old man. He exited the shop, making the glass windchimes tinkle as he passed.

"Quickblade?" Loki asked, turning to Kia with one eyebrow raised. She sighed in what sounded like resignation.

"An old title, a way to honour me, you could say." She explained. "I simply feel it's unnecessary and considering the fact that I have not taken up arms in the last few... centuries now, it's a little silly to be called that, now isn't it?"

"I can hardly believe a person of your stature could even hold a weapon." Loki scoffed.

"Appearances are not everything, Loki." Kia replied, completely unfazed by his subtle insults. "I should show you my blade sometime, could be good to make sure my skills have not rusted. What do you think, my dear?"

Loki almost opened his mouth then realized she couldn't have been talking to him, as she'd been looking down. "Are you speaking to an invisible friend?" He asked condescendingly.

"Aly dear, come on out." Kia said. A pair of glaring black eyes peered above the desk at Loki. The figure rose, revealing a small, slight child with shaggy, long scarlet hair wearing a simple cream and maroon peasant dress. She growled softly at him. "This is Aly; she has been my companion through my long life."

"Why is she looking at me like she'd like to run me through?" Loki demanded, unnerved by the malevolent stare.

"Because she would." Kia answered calmly. "She feels you are a threat, rightly so, and she is less compassionate than I around people who she feels may hurt me. If you do attempt to do anything to me she will do her best to run you through, and believe me, it's damned hard to kill a vampire at the best of times, and when they're blood is up it's nearly impossible."

"A vampire." Loki repeated tonelessly, staring at the tiny, waif-like girl. She hissed at him, revealing pointed canines in her upper lip. "Just a simple shopkeeper?" Loki asked, raising an eyebrow at Kia. "Seems to me you are far more to these...people."

"I am the one who came up with the idea of these shops, places for supernaturals to find items they need but cannot find in the human world, safe refuges, so I am the original shopkeeper and that's all I wish to be." Kia told him.

"A lack of ambition." Loki accused.

"A lack of wanting to deal with the headaches of politics." Kia retorted, rubbing at her temple. "I may advise the council, but I have no wish to be a part of their shenanigans."

Loki, deeming the conversation to be uninteresting, began looking more closely around the shop. He touched the spines of a few books, seeing that a couple appeared to have been written by Kia herself. The various pendants and charms hanging on the shelves had power thrumming through them. He moved on to the window, pulling the curtains aside to look outside.

Rising above the other buildings he could see Stark's tower. He closed the curtain quickly and turned to Kia. "We are in New York."

"That we are." Kia said, marking down something in her notebook. "Is that a problem?"

"I can see Stark Tower from here."

"It's the Avenger Tower now." Kia replied. "You sound a little uneasy."

"I'm not the one who should be worried, for when the Avengers knock down your door and demand to know why you've sheltered me-"

"They will not find this place." Kia interrupted. Loki blinked as he was cut off mid-rant.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't you think it's odd that a shop geared towards creatures that supposedly do not exist is in the middle of one of the busiest metropolis' on the planet?" Kia asked. "And no one seems to be trying to burn it down or otherwise making a fuss about it? Come, Loki, you're supposed to be clever."

Loki ground his teeth at her casual mockery of him. "This place is spelled then?" He asked.

"Hmm, yes, congratulations." She said, smiling teasingly at him.

"Watch your tongue, creature, or I shall have it ripped out." A low growl from Aly answered his statement.

"Remember what I said about vampires, Loki." Kia shook her head. "You need to learn to laugh at yourself. But, in any case, most people don't see the shop. The spell I created only allows those who have need of what is inside to see that it is there."

"So the Avengers could not find this place." Loki guessed.

"Unless they had need of it." Kia replied. "I'm not going to outright say no, because odder things have happened."

The windchimes above the door clinked and a burly man stepped in, closed the door and turned into a Minotaur. The Minotaur stopped, staring at him for a long moment and then shook his head at Kia. "Do you make a habit of this or something?"

"When was the last time I did something like this that you would remember, Ferd?" Kia asked, shaking her head. The bull, Ferd, folded his arms and stared at her.

"Japan, and shamans." He said. "I wasn't there, but I have cousins and-"

"Okay, yes, there is that, but I usually don't get one so close to the last." Kia chuckled. Loki decided it was time to leave and headed back upstairs. He had a place where the Avengers would never find him, for why would they ever need a shop of magics? He smirked to himself; now he had time to plan his revenge.


	5. Chapter 5

Star: I own nothing but the plot and my ocs, so on with the story.

Thor gasped as he woke up, drenched in sweat, his hands clenched in the bed sheets, trembling in the wake of his nightmare. They'd come after he believed his brother dead, and only gotten worse since then. They'd mutated, becoming a mixture of memory and terrified imagination that seemed so real that it always took a couple minutes for him to sort out reality from dream.

He sat up, running his fingers through his sweat-soaked hair and got up, knowing it would be some time before he fell asleep again. Most nights he just turned on the light and surfed on the wonderful Midgardian invention known as the internet, but he felt too restless tonight and walked out of his room, silent despite his large size.

He made his way out to the balcony at the top of the Tower and leaned on the railing, looking down on the city. The lights and sounds always intrigued him. The city at night was beautiful, as beautiful as Asgard. He only wished his brother could have seen this beauty too.

"Can't sleep either?" Thor lifted his head and nodded at Steve. "Yeah, me neither."

"Why is that?" Thor questioned. Steve sighed and leaned on the railing as well.

"I dream of ice, and being trapped." He said. "It's gotten better, but... I still tend to avoid sleep for as long as I think I can."

"I dream of Loki, of him falling into the abyss, and more recently of him being tortured, and screaming at me..." Thor sighed, his shoulders slumping. "There is so much I should have done." He looked at Steve. "You...they... don't understand."

"Then tell me, try to make me understand. I've only ever been fighting Loki, so I don't know him as anything but my enemy." Steve urged. "Tell me about the Loki you know."

"We were nearly inseparable, always playing tricks and games with each other. He was better at playing tricks on me, but I could wrestle him to the ground in no time flat, so we were even, at least that was what I thought." Thor smiled in remembrance. "He got us in so much trouble sometimes with his pranks and ideas, and yet he tried to be my voice of reason when I wanted to do something foolish or something out of rage. I love him, and I do believe he still loves me, but..."

"What happened, do you know?" Steve asked.

"When he found out he was a Frost Giant, I think something broke inside him. He'd always been treated differently, and now he knew why. He was angry, but he also wanted to prove that he was just as good as us, that he was just as worthy of the throne, if not more." Thor sighed. "I take some of the blame, I'd always pushed him, kind of ordered him around, but I hadn't meant to hurt him. He let go, he allowed himself to fall into the abyss because he could not stand the thought of never being enough. If I just could have caught him..."

"So how did he go from trying to prove to your father he was worthy, to trying to take over the Earth?" Steve asked. Thor stroked his beard thoughtfully. He was a simple man, who liked simple answers and simple problems, but Loki was not simple, and he'd been trying to think as his brother might have. It was kind of exhausting to be honest, but he felt he was starting to get to a point where he truly understood his brother.

"I think part of it is wanting once more to prove that he's as good as any Asgardian, but I also think that those creatures did something to him." Thor licked his lips, struggling to find the words to explain. "He was not completely in control, he was struggling with himself whenever I spoke to him. There was madness and fear in his eyes... I think they hurt him, Steve, I think they made him fear for what would happen if he did not do as they said."

"You believe they tortured him?" Steve asked.

"He was afraid, I saw it, and by the end of it he knew that everything was out of his control, but he couldn't stop because of what they might do to him." Thor answered. "I've put a great deal of thought into this."

"Obviously." Steve said. "You really care about him, don't you?"

"He's my brother, maybe not by blood, but I do not care about that." Thor stated firmly. "He believes somehow that being adopted makes us less than brothers, but I say it does not."

"I understand." Steve said. "That kind of bond doesn't have to come from blood. I remember companies and platoons in the wars who were so close to each other they may as well be family."

"It must be hard for you now, waking up and finding that the whole world is now completely different." Thor commented.

"It's getting better, but I still find things that I have no idea what they're for, where they're from and most modern jokes just go completely over my head." Steve chuckled.

"Mine too." Thor admitted with a chuckle. "We are similar in that we have little experience with this world and that we came in with none of our fellows to help us bear through it."

"At least Tony doesn't call you 'absolutely adorable' when you finally get some reference or joke." Steve said.

"No, he just threatens to get me a 'sippy-cup' to prevent me from breaking more cups or spilling drinks when I've found something new I like and wish for more." Thor chuckled. "I only did that once."

"He doesn't let things go when he finds them funny." Steve said. "Kind of annoying, though Pepper can usually get him to stop, when she's around."

"The women around here can be quite...forceful." Thor smiled. "Feisty, as they here."

"But you're used to that sort of thing." Steve pointed out.

"From Asgardians yes, but in the past we'd always thought Midgardian women were all defenceless, dainty creatures, and then one Tazered me."

"I'll bet that was shocking." Steve went bright red as he realized that he'd made an unintended pun. Thor roared with laughter, both at the pun and Steve's face. He was still such an innocent, even after the horrors of the war. "What's up?"

"I was just thinking. You, who have probably seen the most horrors of all of us, is still the most innocent-seeming." Thor said. "How do you do that?"

"Funny question, never really thought about it." Steve replied, leaning back on the railing. "I think more of what you're talking about is the whole modesty and ignorance of the modern world, because I certainly don't feel innocent and I don't think I act innocent when it comes to things like fighting and war. I'm old-fashioned, from a, I don't want to say simpler, because it wasn't a simple time, but a different time, and I think that people see me as innocent because I act like I would have acted then."

"You are not naive, that much is certain." Thor informed him. "It is funny how different we all are and yet we've been able to work so well together."

"I think that's what makes it possible." Steve replied. "If we were all the same we'd have personality clashes. We each bring some unique skill to the table and we can take down threats together that alone we would stand no chance against."

"You are surprisingly eloquent."

"I've made some speeches in my time, gear up the boys for a battle, that sort of thing." Steve grinned. "Could never figure out how to talk to a girl though."

"Even the amazing Captain America can't be perfect." Thor rubbed at his face. "That sounded like Tony, didn't it?"

"A little." Steve agreed. "You probably need some sleep."

"As do you." Thor pointed out, hearing the suggestion in Steve's voice.

"I'll go if you go." Steve offered. Thor chuckled.

"Why not. Hopefully this talk will dispel the nightmares for the rest of the night." Thor said, throwing an arm around Steve's shoulders and walking inside. "Mayhap we will make this a regular occurrence, it seems to have calmed me."

"Me too." Steve admitted. "Maybe next time we'll have hot cocoa."

"What about coffee?" Thor asked hopefully.

"Coffee will just make you more awake." Steve said with a chuckle. "Save it for breakfast. I believe this is your stop."

"You are correct." Thor sighed, looking at his bedroom door. "Thank you, for listening. If only the others could be more understanding."

"I wouldn't hold your breath, not when it comes to Clint or Natasha anyways." Steve informed him. "Just try not to get on his nerves too much for the next little while."

"I shall do my best." Thor agreed. "Goodnight, Captain."

"Goodnight Thor." Steve said, smiling and shaking his head as he wandered off down the hall. Thor closed his door and lay down on his bed.

"I hope, wherever you are, Loki, you are alright."

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	6. Chapter 6

Star: I own nothing!

Loki's nose woke him up; along with his stomach growling at the smell of whatever food was being cooked. He sat up slowly, shaking his head as he tried to dispel the nightmares that still clung to him. His stomach growled again, reminding him that it had been quite some time since he'd had a good meal, the bowl of soup being his only source of sustenance since he'd woken up.

He found that another set of clothes had been left for him, this time a pair of slacks and a white collared shirt. He pulled the clothes on and padded quietly out of the room. He could hear singing in a strange, lilting tongue from the kitchen.

He was sure that he was silent as he walked in, Kia's back to him, but abruptly one white ear flicked back and he froze. "Good morning, Loki." Kia said cheerfully, not turning around. Damn her lupine sense of hearing. He would have trouble sneaking up on her if and when the time came to get rid of her.

"What was that you were singing?" He demanded.

"It doesn't occur to you to use manners, does it?" Kia said calmly, her attention on the pan she had on the stove. "In answer to your question, it was a very old Lakota lullaby." She smiled at Loki's blank look. "The Lakota are one of many North American native nomadic tribes that used to dominate this continent, before Europeans showed up, anyways."

"You are one of them?" Loki asked, ever curious.

"Not hardly." Kia chuckled. "I would call myself a woman of nowhere, not having truly lived anywhere long enough to claim allegiance to its soils. Originally my tribe, my clan, was from Europe, and I have managed to pinpoint our haunting grounds to have been somewhere in what is now called Romania, but I am not entirely certain."

"How can you not be certain?" Loki demanded.

"There is only so much the mind can remember at a time, Loki." Kia informed him. "Old memories get lost, jumbled up, and sometimes you're not sure if what you remember was reality or just a part of a dream... I wish I could still remember what my father looked like." She sighed wistfully.

Loki snorted. "Sentiment." He sneered. "It is your downfall."

"It is my strength." Kia retorted. "Have you never seen a lioness defend her cubs? She is more powerful when she has something to protect than if it is just her she is protecting. I am the same, and I draw my strength from those that look to me."

"And you would die for them." Loki jeered. "That is your weakness."

"I will not die until it is my Goddess' wish to release me." Kia declared, her voice both reverent, and slightly sorrowful. "We have lived so long, Aly and I, seen so much, done so much, death would just be another adventure to the two of us. Breakfast's ready, sit down please."

Aly, already sitting down, growled warningly at him, so he chose the farthest chair from her and waited. Kia set down a generous plate of pancakes and bacon in front of him. Loki's stomach twisted slightly, remembering Thor had been the one who had first found and loved pancakes. Loki didn't think much of them personally, possibly because they reminded him of Thor.

He moodily stabbed at the pancakes, reluctantly admitting they were actually good and they did ease the hunger, so he ate quickly, but with far more etiquette than Thor would have. He must have been too deep in thought, because he did not know that he had been used as a perch until a small blue dragon's face peered upside down into his.

"AAAAAAGHHHH!" he screamed, flailing and managing to tip his chair backwards enough to send himself sprawling onto the ground. The tiny creature atop him let out an alarmed squawk and leapt away, opening leathery wings and flying over to land on Kia's head, scolding him fiercely. Kia was laughing, her head tipped back in unbridled mirth. "I'm glad someone finds this so amusing." Loki snarled, getting up and sitting back down.

"Come now Loki, can you honestly say you would not find it amusing if it had happened to someone else?" Kia asked, her eyes still dancing with laughter. "This is Pippin by the way."She said, stroking the little dragon's back. "He is unfailingly friendly so he will try to use you as a perch once more." Pippin chirruped, as though in agreement.

Loki huffed and looked away from her, accidently looking towards Aly as he did so. She was drinking a cup of blood and hissed at him when he stared. "Do you bleed her victims yourself to get her blood?" He asked.

"No need of such archaic methods, not with blood banks secretly run by supernaturals supplying us. The modern world does have its perks." She said calmly. "In the old days it was much harder, though she needed not drain her victims. I often served as her meals, if we could find no one else willing."

"Why not just take it?" Loki demanded. "As a vampire is she not able to simply overpower a human?"

"She is, but we consider such an act comparable to rape." Kia said darkly. "You are taking something precious, something important, without permission and making them feel helpless, violated. I do not condone such acts."

"Ooh, aren't you the saint?" Loki snapped. Kia only snorted and sipped lightly at her tea. It irked Loki that he couldn't get a rise out of her, but it would not do to get himself frustrated about it. He needed to keep his head, never mind that she got under his skin like no one had ever been able to.

"How are you healing up?" Kia asked after a long moment of silence.

"The pain is going away, if that is what you are asking." Loki said curtly.

"And your powers, are they returning?" Loki glared at her.

"Why do you want to know?" He asked suspiciously.

"Sometimes injuries such as yours can lead to problems with magical abilities. If that is the case I would have to bring an expert in to help you with that."

"Once again, why would you do so much for someone who should rightly be your enemy?" Loki couldn't help but be perplexed by this strange creature.

"I do not consider people my enemy until they attempt to hurt me or mine." Kia explained.

"Which I have already done." Loki reminded her.

"And then you showed up on my doorstep, damaged and weak. If you were my greatest enemy I would not turn my back on you in that condition, nor would I leave you unable to defend yourself."

"Do you hold no grudges, feel no hatred?" Loki asked. "You are such a strange creature."

"Grudges and hate lead only to more pain and suffering in the world." Kia said firmly. "I am in the service of Life, I do all that I can to alleviate suffering and pain. Yes, there are those that have made me angry in the past, but I find hatred to be a useless, self-destroying emotion and the world would be a better place."

"Only fools believe in such sentimental dreams." Loki hissed.

"A fool would not have managed to stay alive for over 5000 years, even with the assistance of the Divine." Kia retorted. "The gods do not have much patience for fools."

"You claim to know gods, have you ever seen one?"

"I'm looking at one right now, aren't I?" One white eyebrow lifted as Kia smirked at him. Loki kept his face carefully blank, though his lips were trying to twitch up in an appreciative smile. "Hmph, you are no fun." She groused playfully. "I have been face to face with the Mother, in various guises, and have even been possessed when the need arose. 'Tis the closest to seeing heaven I've been and it leaves me feeling empty inside when She leaves."

"Various guises?" Loki ignored the wistfulness in Kia's voice.

"The gods of this world come to believers as the gods they believe in. They have no one true form, because they are as much a construct of our thought as we are of theirs." Kia explained. "I have seen Her as Isis, Hera, Ishtar, Gaia, and many more. She comes to me as She chooses because She knows I adhere to no particular creed."

"You believe in nothing?" Loki was a little perplexed by her wording.

"I believe in doing right by your fellow living beings, and treating others the way you would like to be treated." Kia replied. "What I mean is I don't believe it matters what religion, what god, you believe in, that it's all the same and the afterlife you have reflects the way you've acted in life."

"You believe you know so much." Loki snorted haughtily.

"Much of my life has been dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom." Kia replied. "'Tis a better, and more productive pastime than your pursuit for vengeance, I should think."

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	7. Chapter 7

Star: I own nothing!

Loki grumbled to himself in frustration, pacing his room. He should have been testing his power to see if it had come back in full force to him, or at least coming up with some kind of plan for taking down the Avengers, but he wasn't. Kia's words were stuck in his head, giving him a massive headache.

"Smug, arrogant little bitch." He muttered to himself, kicking one of the many boxes that littered his room. There was a clang from inside and Loki kicked it again, cocking his head in curiosity. He knelt down and shook the large, heavy box, hearing things clang inside again. Unable to resist he carefully peeled off the tape and opened the box.

He frowned as he pulled out a forged steel shield with the blue emblem of howling wolf imprinted upon it. Judging by the flakes of blue still clinging to the metal it had once been painted. He pulled out a breastplate was fashioned to be used by a female, shaped the feminine form. Loki set it aside and pulled out the rest of the armour, including gauntlets, chainmail and leg braces.

"I was once a knight." Kia's soft voice said above him.

"You who preaches peace fought in war?" Loki demanded.

"I have fought in many wars, but I do not enjoy them." Kia replied. "I try not to kill, but when it comes down to either the ones I am sworn to protect or someone else dying, I will not hesitate." She knelt and touched the breastplate reverently.

"Where did you get this armour?" Loki asked, unable to contain himself.

"In King Arthur's court." Loki stared, incapable of hiding his surprise. "Ah, I see you've heard of King Arthur and his knights of the Round table."

"I have studied human mythology." Loki stated stiffly. "I've not heard of you in the stories."

"The Wanderer?" Kia prompted, raising an eyebrow. Loki blinked and then remembered several obscure references to a being known as the Wanderer, who seemed to be a companion or friend of Merlin. "One of my abilities that I have cultivated over the years is an ability to make myself difficult to remember once I am gone. There are many references to me in mythology and history, but unless you consult supernatural history, they are vague."

"Why would you-"

"I do not wish for attention, or worship, as the stories of my exploits would have earned me. I wish only for a quiet life doing what I do best, helping people." Kia rationalized. "It also protects both me and Aly, from those that might call us their enemies."

"You fought alongside King Arthur." Loki repeated, unable to wrap his mind around the concept.

"Once, but he wanted to be sure that I had the proper equipment." Kia told him. "Morgan Le Fay had been dabbling in necromancy and amassed an army of the dead to march on Camelot. Messing with the dead is the second greatest taboo in supernatural society, so King Arthur marched against Le Fay not only with his own people, but mine. That was the last time mankind and supernaturals were united in such a huge force." She stood. "I have to open the shop. I'm sorry I haven't managed to move any of these boxes, but you're free to do more snooping if you like."

Aly, standing by the door, glared daggers at him until Kia left the room and she followed after. He heard a soft whistle and turned to see Pippin perched on the bedpost. "What do you want?" Loki growled at the little creature. Pippin cocked his head and peeped at him happily. Loki snorted and put the armour and shield back in their box and went to look for his next prize.

A smaller box caught his attention and he pulled it to himself. He peeled it open and took out a couple of old photo albums. He flipped through the yellowing pages, staring without much interest at the old black and white photos. Not all of the people featured in the albums are human, but that's the only interesting thing to note about them.

He put the albums carefully in again and pushed the box away, picking up another one. This one had small objects wrapped in bubble wrap in it. He took one and unrolled the bubble wrap. He stared at the small figurine revealed. He knew enough about mythology to know it was Medusa, the gorgon. This Medusa though didn't look like a monster, she looked almost sad, wistful even.

Loki puzzled over the figurine for a couple minutes before he felt a tug at his pants. Pippin squeaked at him, tugging once more and then padding over to the door. Loki raised an eyebrow, clearly the creature was smart. He stood and the little dragon lifted off, flying towards the door to the shop downstairs. He followed, holding the figurine carefully.

Kia was rearranging the shelves fussily when he stepped in. "Good of you to join us, Loki." She greeted him without turning around.

"I have found something in your boxes that interests me." Loki kept his voice vaguely interested. Kia turned and took the figurine from him, inspecting it with a small smile on his face.

"And by that you mean you couldn't figure out why I had it." She replied. Loki snorted contemptuously in answer. "I suppose you know the myth of Medusa?" Loki nodded. "Human is often unkind to those they consider monsters, Medusa was no exception. The real Medusa was a sweet lady, very distressed whenever she accidently turned someone to stone. I was sad when she died because she'd been a good friend to me."

"And you would defend these humans too? They that despise your kind?" Loki challenged. Kia merely smiled as the door opened and the Minotaur from the other day appeared in the store along with a very pregnant, very human lady.

"Ferd, Helena, how are you both?" Kia greeted the both of her visitors happily, clasping both their hands. "How is the baby?"

"Oof, he kicks like no one's business. Takes after his father." Helena cooed, standing on tiptoes to kiss Ferd's cheek, making the bull chuckle. Kia raised one eyebrow at Loki, who was staring at the couple. "That herbal concoction of yours works wonders for my aches though, thank you."

Kia folded her ears back in embarrassment. "Only doing my job, Helena." The human female laughed brightly.

"Always so humble, Kia the Ageless." Ferd said. Kia gave him a look and he just shrugged his massive shoulders. Loki gathered his thoughts once more and remembered something that Kia had said earlier.

"What is the biggest taboo in the supernatural world?" He asked, cutting through the conversation. Helena and Ferd looked at him in surprise, having not seen him standing there and he glowered at them.

"The biggest taboo in the supernatural world is doing any sort of harm to a child." Helena explained, rubbing her hands over her swollen belly. "Supernaturals do not easily conceive and bear children. Some, like vampires, cannot have children at all, and so children are seen as being very special. If a supernatural were to hurt a child, supernatural or human, they would be put to death, gruesomely."

"And you condone this?" Loki asked of Kia. To his surprise her face was grim.

"Anyone who would harm a defenceless child deserves the fires of Hell." Kia all-but growled. "I have no sympathy for those that would bruise, break, rape, or kill the true innocents of this world. There is no reason for it, no defence you can give me that I will accept."

"So you do have a nasty streak." Loki said with glee, glad that he'd found something negative about her. She merely smirked at her.

"Oh, I have done nasty things, my friend." She informed him. "I was not always in the service of Life, I was not always so peaceful."

"And what did you do then?"

"A tale for another time, my friend. I have work to do." Kia told him gently, but firmly. "I've a feeling there's plenty of time for us to swap stories."

"I'm not going to be around for that long." Loki retorted. Kia pinned him with her soul-piercing stare.

"Aren't you?" She raised both eyebrows at him and gave him a knowing smirk. Damn her. She understood his curiosity, his need to dig deeper into any secrets he discovered, and Kia was proving to be a wellspring of secrets, though she was quite willing to share them once he'd found the clues. It frightened him that she seemed to know him so well.

He stalked off, head held high, while grinding his teeth in frustration. Pippin settled on his shoulder, cheeping plaintively, but he brushed the little beast off impatiently, making Pippin scold him fiercely while flying in circles around his head.

"Go away." He snarled at it. Pippin responded with a rude noise and winged his way into Loki's room. Loki groaned and walked in, finding Pippin perched on the bedpost chattering angrily at him. "You are as annoying as your owner."

Pippin puffed out his small chest, as though he enjoyed the comparison. Loki kicked a couple boxes on his way to his bed and sat down, staring out at the alleyway. He lay back on the bed and closed his eyes, beginning to work up plans to destroy the Avengers.

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	8. Chapter 8

Star: I own nothing!

Thor concentrated on pummeling the aptly named punching bag. It had only been several days, but they had yet to hear anything about Loki, and Thor was beginning to fear the worst had happened. He could never forgive himself if Loki was dead. He should have argued more strongly with Odin, he should have taken Loki away himself…

He pounded the bag harder, trying to drive the troubling thoughts out of his head. There was the sound of tearing fabric, but he ignored it, continuing to drive his fists into the now falling apart bag. "Whoa there champ, I think the thing is dead now, don't you?"

Thor turned, panting softly, to regard Tony. Tony was smirking slightly, though his dark eyes were ringed with shadows. None of the Avengers had slept well since the whole mess with Loki started. It was tense too, so much so that even Steve's cheerfulness had settled into gloom over the last couple of days.

"Why are you here, Tony?" Thor asked when Tony said no more. Tony shrugged.

"Maybe I just like seeing you beat up defenceless punching bags." He quipped. Thor sighed, not in the mood for Tony's quick tongue; it reminded him too much of Loki sometimes. "Okay, you're in a mood, so I'll just tell you what me and Bruce think we have sorted out about your brother."

"What?" Thor demanded eagerly.

"Bruce and I isolated an anomalous energy signal from the day before you told us Loki had escaped." Tony said. "It occurred somewhere over New York City."

"You think it was Loki?" Thor demanded, joy rising in him. "He's in this city?"

"Or he was." Bruce interjected, wandering in with that slightly distracted air he always seemed to have. "By this time he could have gotten far away from the city, and we don't even know for sure if the energy was him showing up, all we have are scientific guesses and no way to test them."

"Yet." Tony added with an smug, I'm-a-genius-I-can-figure-anything-out smile. "Bruce is right about him not even being in the city anymore. The last place I'd want to be is close to the people who kicked my ass while attempting to get stronger and take them down again."

"He might also stay though, so he could scope us out, figure out where our weaknesses are." Bruce retorted.

"That's also very true." Tony said, pleased with the little debate they had started. "But maybe he'd come back when he's well, I mean, why take risks when you're sick, right? Save it for when you can actually do something."

"That would take more effort though, it would make more sense for him to stick with one place…" Thor brushed past the two men, neither taking any notice of him as they continued to argue in a friendly manner. At least they seemed to be in high spirits.

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Loki was not finding much more of interest in 'his' room; just little statues, bits of newspaper clippings, old clothes, shells and other assorted random items. He found himself bored once more and decided to do something about that state. A wicked idea formed in his head.

Kia must have some things she hid, and where else would she hide them but her own room? Loki smirked and stood up, ignoring Pippin's questioning peeps and sauntered out into the hallway. He tried the other door in the hallway that wasn't the bathroom and found it locked. No problem. Loki murmured a spell and the lock clicked open.

Pippin trilled in warning, sharp claws digging into Loki's shoulder as he scolded him in high pitched squeaks and chatters. "Go away." Loki said, brushing the tiny creature off as he turned the doorknob. Pippin fluttered away, chittering in annoyance.

Loki stepped inside the room, finding it dark with the curtains drawn and the light off. He flicked on the light switch and looked around. There were various photos and pieces of artwork on the wall. He ignored these in favour of looking for Kia's dirty little secrets.

Unlike his own room Kia's was tidy, almost immaculate if not for a few items of clothing, crumpled balls of paper and a couple of books scattered about the floor. The bookshelf was full to bursting and the desk was a mess of paper, pencils and shavings. He ignored all that and began pulling open drawers, searching for something, anything interesting.

His search bore no fruit however until he decided to look under the bed and found a large trunk, almost the size of a man, resting beneath it. He tugged the cumbersome thing out in the open, too excited to think about the fact that it would be all too easy for him to be caught doing this.

Of course the trunk was locked as well, but another spell took care of that and he opened it slowly, reveling the moment. His excitement died when he beheld only bound leather books kept in the trunk. He sighed in disappointment, but then thought that if they were simply nothing, she would not have locked them away.

He took one out and undid the bindings on it, opening it to the first page. _In Egypt we watched many days as the building of the Great Pyramid went on. It remains still one of the most awe-inspiring monuments to me, a testament to the ingenuity of the human mind. I had been visiting with friends in the area, one of which was a foreman in the building of said monument, and the way he spoke of it was as though it were his child. _

Loki flipped through the pages, reading snatches of stories, memories, he realized. The books were memoires, Kia's life put down on paper. If only he had time to read them all, figure her out, but he did not. He went to replace the books then spotted something underneath. A long box, as long as the trunk it lay in. He eagerly pushed the memoires out of the way and lifted the box out. It was heavier than what he expected.

He opened it and stared, startled by what was inside. He touched the pummel of the broadsword, seeing how well-cared for the leather bindings on it were. He couldn't see the blade itself, as it was sheathed, but he could imagine how impressive the rest of it must look.

"It's called Patronus, which is Latin for protector, or guardian." Kia's voice behind him made him turn his head so fast he heard the tendons creaking. "It is rude to snoop."

"You speak as though I should care. I am the God of Mischief after all." Loki pointed out.

"You are also only here because I allow it, and as such I would hope that you would respect boundaries." Kia replied sternly.

"You think you could kick me out?" Loki scoffed. She gave him a serious look.

"I have all manner of protections not only on the shop but this apartment, believe me if I wanted you gone, there would be no way to stop it from happening."

"You assume your magic is stronger than mine." Loki hissed.

"You assume you would have time to conjure before you were no longer in this apartment." Kia retorted calmly. "So much anger in your heart, Loki, that you bite at anyone who comes close. I would have allowed you to see this, had you asked."

"Then why hide it?" Loki demanded. Kia chuckled softly.

"I do have enemies, some that would use my past against me, and I do not wish my sword to fall into the wrong hands." She explained, taking the blade from Loki. She unsheathed it and stared at it a moment. The blade was a strange silvery blue, unlike any steel Loki had ever seen.

"What manner of metal is it made of?" Loki asked curiously.

"It was forged with metal from the heart of a falling star." Kia said, wiping at a minute spot of dirt. "I took it from its previous owner after I'd killed him."

"You killed someone?" Loki asked.

"I have killed many, I believe we've been over this. Almost every kill weighs heavily on my soul." Kia sighed wearily.

"Almost?"

"There are real monsters out there, not the ugly creatures in fairy tales, but men and women who delight in pain and suffering. I do not weep for those lost souls." Kia informed him grimly. "The person I took this sword from was a vampire whose sexual tastes were for young flesh, very young flesh."

"Children?" Loki guessed, horrified. Kia nodded.

"He was the one who changed Aly, so that his new 'plaything' would last longer." She bared her teeth in a snarl. "I've no forgiveness for men like him."

"As you shouldn't." Loki growled. Kia chuckled softly. "What's so funny?"

"People call you the monster, but… I think they're wrong."

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Star: Review plz!


	9. Chapter 9

Star: I own nothing!

"Tell me about yourself, Loki." Kia demanded at the dinner table. "I know of myths, but I also know how far myths can be from the truth."

"Why would I tell you anything about myself?" Loki demanded.

"You've done enough snooping in mine and Aly's lives," She patted Aly's head, prompting a growling purr from the diminutive vampire. "I figure it's only fair if I pry into yours." She smiled that infuriatingly calm, sure smile of hers and Loki ground his teeth.

"I suppose that's fair." He growled, knowing that if he seriously displeased her, he would wind up on the streets. "What do you want to know?"

"Tell me about your family, first of all." Loki couldn't help but bristle at her request.

"I don't have one." He said stiffly.

"Oh? Then what is Thor?" Kia asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Thor? I care nothing about him, and he cares nothing about me, we are enemies, that is all." The lie came easily to him, though the words felt painful in his throat. Kia fixed him with her soul-piercing stare, glaring slightly.

"I do not like being lied to, it is one of the things I dislike the most. I have been honest with you and your questions, I only ask that you show the same courtesy." Those eerie eyes boring into his told him she would accept no arguments and that she would know instantly if he lied. He swallowed thickly and heard Aly let out a chuffing sound, not unlike a laugh.

"He cares about me, though I cannot see why he would, after everything." Loki admitted, caught in her eyes. Was it magic she was using to pry the truth from him, or something deeper? He believed now that she had been possessed by the Divine, because there was godliness in those eyes. "I… I hate him, and love him, and… I don't know."

"Why do you hate him, and why do you love him?" Kia asked quietly. Loki still couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

"I hate him because he got everything, attention, fame, rewards, and yet he can't even come up with a strategy that doesn't simply involve hitting the enemy until he's down. I was the smart one, the clever one, and yet Odin chose Thor to be king. I love him because he was the only one who didn't look down on me, who never gave up on me, and the only one who tried to defend me at my trial. I hate him because I can't help loving him."

The words left Loki feeling drained and small and fragile. He didn't like it, and he didn't like the soft sorrow now muting the eeriness of Kia's eyes. "I've known men like you."

"There are no men like me." Loki growled. Kia laughed lightly.

"Of course, we are our own unique individuals, there is none other exactly like us, but I have known men whose love and hate became so powerful that they did terrible things in its name."

"Don't presume to understand me!" Loki snarled, rising up to his feet. Kia put up a hand to halt him.

"I would not, I am only telling you what I know by experience, and by what I see in your eyes." Loki tensed up completely. "I see anger, yes, but pain as well, and self-loathing. Tell me, Loki, why do you hate yourself?"

Loki opened and closed his mouth, his silver tongue suddenly turning into a lead weight in his mouth. He pushed away from the table and stalked off, slamming the door of his room behind him with more venom than he'd actually meant to.

He stared at his fingers, willing them to change. The fingernails turned black and from them spread tendrils of blue across his fingers, intricate markings popping up as the skin changed. He stared down at his hands and then allowed himself to cry, for he knew that no one would accept the monster he knew he was.

%&%&%&%&%

Thor got up early to fly around the city, hoping for a glimpse, a clue, anything to know his brother was near. As usual, there was nothing, no hint, no sign of his passing. No one in the city had seen him either, he knew this because Nick Fury had people questioned, and the answer was always the same, no Loki.

He finally flew back to the Tower; feeling dejected, and noticed a lone figure sitting atop the very tip of the antenna extending from the top of the Tower. Of course it was Clint, who had a habit of finding the highest places to scale and then brood.

"Thor." The taciturn man greeted him without looking up.

"Clint." Thor said politely, drifting down to land on the balcony of the top floor. Clint easily swung his way down, landing in front of Thor gracefully. "Do you wish to speak to me?"

"Yeah, I guess I do, but I kind of want a cup of coffee first." Clint said, his face unchanged from its hard, unreadable expression. Thor followed him inside and prepared a mug of coffee for himself. He preferred his black, but Clint tended to put a lot of sugar and cream in his; Thor didn't see the point of him drinking coffee sometimes.

"So?" Thor asked when they were settled down.

"Tasha wants me to get talking to you, said she's sick of me giving you the cold shoulder." Clint explained, stirring his coffee absentmindedly.

"It is far better than having us at each other's throats." Thor pointed out.

"Yeah, but she, and Fury, say we've got to be able to work together as a team, and that any issues we have with each other need to be addressed in an adult-like manner."

"I don't have any problem with you." Thor said quietly.

"And I don't have much of a problem with you. It's that brother of yours…" Clint paused as Thor instantly bristled. "See that, that's what I have a problem with, defending him even after all the shit he's done."

"You don't know him like I do." Thor protested. "The man that did all that, that hurt you, that wasn't my brother, something happened to him to make him that way. I do not ignore the things he's done, but I do not agree with the punishments, I have my reasons."

"And what are those?" Clint challenged.

"Loki's anger stems much from the way he was treated in Asgard. He was always second best, despite the fact that he was incredibly talented in many ways." Thor paused. "Unfortunately for Loki, Asgard favours brawn and mighty warriors above all else, and Loki was neither of those. He bore it in silence for most of his life."

"And so what made him snap?"

"He discovered he was not truly of Asgard, but a Jotun, a Frost Giant. We are taught from a young age that Jotun are monsters, evil, and must be killed. I can't even imagine the loathing Loki feels for himself now. He tried to destroy Jotunheim, in order to prove himself worthy to the AllFather, but failed, and allowed himself to fall into the Abyss."

"You think that messed him up?" Clint asked, his expression a little more open now.

"I would not doubt it, alone with just your thoughts and the fall and the hunger…" Thor broke off, shuddering at the thought. "And the Chitauri, I believe he was afraid to cross them."

"How?"

"The look in his eyes when he stared out into the city, at all the destruction; there was realization and then when he said it couldn't be stopped, he just looked terrified." Thor explained.

"I may have something of a theory too." Natasha stated as she walked in, hair still damp from her shower. "Remember Thor, when we were in the Helicarrier and started arguing in the same room as Loki's staff?"

"I do." Thor agreed.

"I think it was enhancing those negative emotions we were feeling towards each other, kind of like the One Ring in the Lord of the Rings influenced people around it. If that hypothesis is correct, how messed up would Loki's head be just by wielding it all the time?" Natasha proposed.

"That's pretty smart, Tasha." Clint complimented. "I still don't like the fact that he made me into his little puppet. Do you know how many people…? Natasha squeezed his arm. "Sorry, I know, it wasn't me, it wasn't my fault, but still."

"I believe Loki must be held accountable, yes. But the torture and imprisonment only serve to heighten his madness and his hate. I wish to rehabilitate him, and hopefully that will help us both find a suitable penance for his acts."

"If there is any shred of sanity left in him." Clint said quietly. Thor gave him a stern look.

"I will not rest until I find that shred and piece Loki back together, this I vow."

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Star: Review plz!


	10. Chapter 10

Star: So, the Dark Knight Rises was completely awesome and depressing and heartbreaking and mindblowing all at once. That being said, back to your regularly scheduled fanfiction.

Loki was awoken by the sound of his door opening and the patter of rain outside the window. With a start he realized he did not remember falling asleep. The tight feeling of the skin on his face, the soreness of his eyes and the sting of salt when he licked his lips told him he'd likely fallen asleep exhausted by the seemingly unending amount of tears he'd shed.

It wasn't that unexpected really, he'd been holding back for some time, since falling through the void really. There'd been many moments where he'd wanted to scream, to cry, and even to give up, give in, to die, but he'd pushed on, but for what purpose? He was starting to become unsure.

"Is this what you are hiding from me?" Kia's voice was gentle, curious. Loki lifted his head and saw with a sick jolt that he was still in his Jotun form. The sight of his blue skin made him feel ill and he hurriedly started shifting back. "Why are you hiding this?" Loki did not answer until there was not a trace of blue left on him. He sat up, staring Kia down, who was sitting on the edge of his bed.

"You've entered my room without permission." He hissed, hoping he didn't look too messed up still.

"My house, I can go wherever I like." Kia replied blithely. Loki scowled. "That was a lovely shade of blue, by the way, interesting markings too, what are they?"

"I do not know, I do not want to know." Loki snapped.

"And why is that?" Kia asked.

"I do not need to be reminded that I am a monster." Loki spat the words out like poison. Kia's eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hairline.

"Granted your actions of late have not been the most noble and there are those that would consider you evil, but in spite of that I'm not sure I would call you a monster." She informed him seriously. "People who call themselves monsters generally are not the ones who truly are the monsters."

"I am a Jotun, a frost giant, of course I'm a monster." Loki cried, grabbing at his hair in frustration.

"People are not born monsters, what you are cannot make you a monster, you make yourself a monster." Kia's voice was stern. Loki huffed and looked away from her.

"How could you understand? You are practically a saint." He accused. Kia shook her head and chuckled.

"No, I am just old enough to understand that bigotry and hatred cause nothing but trouble." She replied. "I understand because many of the people that frequent my shop are considered monsters by the human race. Aly, in particular, her kind, vampires, are a source of great fear for humans. They have been hunted and killed by the hundreds by those who believe that they are evil. I am ashamed to say I was once one such person."

"So you have said, though I have trouble believing it." Loki replied. Kia smiled sadly.

"I do not visit that part of my life often, and I have learned better over the years."

"It does raise an interesting question for me though. You are so old, but yet vampires are also ageless, so does that mean there are others older yet than you?" Loki asked, trying to steer the conversation away from himself and his…problem.

"Surprisingly, no." Kia replied. "Most 'immortal' creatures tire of life after a millennium or two, and have a trusted friend bring about their end for them. The oldest vampire I know, besides Aly, is Isilia, who was about a millennium younger than I. She passed on only a few years ago actually. The council hasn't been quite the same since her death."

"Why do you not do the same?" Loki wheedled. He was gratified to see Kia's shoulders slump slightly in weariness.

"I serve Life, and my Goddess, until she sees fit to release me from her service, I will go on." She said softly. "That is not to say that I do not sometimes wish for death. I've left behind so many good friends…"

Loki wondered what it must like, being an immortal being in a world full of mortal creatures. Cursed to watch people they cared about grow old and eventually die, leaving them behind. With a slight pang he wondered if Thor understood what he'd chosen by staying with the Avengers. Was Thor naïve enough not to consider this? Loki wasn't sure of that.

"Back to our original conversation…" Damn, he thought he'd successfully distracted her. "Where even did this concept of Jotun being monsters come from? The culture of Asgard?"

"Well, yes, that is what we are taught." Loki said.

"And you don't think that things that you are taught can be wrong?" Kia asked, tilting her head at him.

"I am not stupid, I know that Odin is not perfect and that he can be wrong."

"So why are you trying to prove him right then?" Silence met Kia's question. Loki stared at her and she stared back intently.

"Why do you say that?" Loki demanded.

"After merely days on Earth you'd killed hundreds, unleashed an alien force bent on our destruction and tried to take over our world. Some people might call that monstrous and I have a feeling you had no such ambitions before you found out about your true heritage."

"I-" Loki found himself at a loss for words, which didn't happen very often. It made him angry. "You think you understand so much and you think you're better than me."

"I do not." Kia denied.

"Oh, but you do." Loki hissed, standing up, towering over her. "You look down on me and all the rest of the unfortunate souls you 'help'. You're so much older, wiser than them and it makes you feel powerful to be the one to give them what they need." Kia stared up at him, unimpressed. Loki's anger grew; he should have been able to make her angry, to break down some of those walls.

"I have to say I'm surprised it took you so long to try and manipulate me." Kia commented. "Don't bother. I can practically smell untruths and I am confident in my own motivations."

"You-" Loki trembled with barely controlled rage as she stood, still staring up into his eyes with that infuriating calm.

"If you're done with your tantrum now-" Loki couldn't help himself, his temper snapped and he lashed out with one hand. He connected with her face and sent her flying backwards. She crashed into the wall and slid down with a small grunt, her blue eyes rolling into the back of her head.

Loki froze, realizing what he'd done. Kia was unconscious on the floor because of him. He hadn't meant to hit her so hard, he'd been angry yes, but he hadn't wanted to actually hurt her. He stepped towards her and suddenly there was furious, hissing vampire in between him and Kia.

Aly snapped her teeth at him, driving him back, shoving at him, clawing at him until he was backed out of the room and down the stairs. She kept at him, and Loki was powerless to make her back off, so powerful was her rage at him having harmed Kia. If he'd tried to fight back, he was sure Aly would tear him limb from limb.

He was outside suddenly, the rain pouring down on him. Aly slammed the shop door on him and then locked it. Okay, so she hadn't killed him, but she'd made it clear he wasn't welcome inside. No matter, there were other places he could find to stay. Although, none of them offered the protection that Kia's place did.

He shivered slightly, the rain soaking him to the skin. He'd reacted badly to her probing, and to the fact that he couldn't manipulate her to his will. People like her were so rare; people so secure in themselves that there was absolutely no way to bring them down, to make them feel bad about themselves, people who knew their flaws and accepted that they had them. Truth be told, he was somewhat envious of people like that; he felt inadequate all the time.

He liked Kia, he did. She was interesting, a challenge to him, and she'd taken him in for no other reason than because he needed it. She was probably the only person in this realm who would choose not to turn him in immediately to the Avengers.

He wrapped his arms around himself, unable to leave, unwilling to go. He didn't know if he'd killed her or not, he needed to know, even if it meant standing out here looking like a fool. People walked by him and around him, but they didn't seem to notice him, locked into their own little worlds and the dance of those who had lived in a bustling city for many years.

The rain didn't slack off and despite his Jotun heritage he found himself freezing. His teeth chattered, but he refused to find shelter. He stared at the door of the shop, willing something to happen. As if by magic he heard the lock click and the door opened. Kia poked her head out at him, expression vaguely annoyed and bemused. Neither of them spoke for a long moment.

"Well? You going to stand out in the rain all day?" Kia finally asked. Loki hesitantly walked to the door, avoiding Kia's eyes. He couldn't help the sigh of relief when the door shut behind him and he was inside.

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Star: Review plz!


	11. Chapter 11

Star: I own nothing!

Loki followed Kia up the stairs silently. He felt like a child that had done something wrong, and was about to get punished for it. Loki used his magic to dry himself off, wanting to get the inevitable over with. Kia noted his lack of wetness, but said nothing, simply sitting down at the kitchen table with a sigh and putting an ice pack to the back of her head.

Loki sat down across from her, hearing the low growling that meant that Aly was around, and watching him. He couldn't see the vampire, but it was all too easy to imagine she was armed and ready to take him down if she thought he was going to harm Kia. Kia merely watched him, her blue eyes weary.

"I-"

"I do not want to hear an apology unless it is genuine." She sounded weary.

"It is, for once I am not trying to lie to you." Loki insisted. "I did not mean… I was angry and I just… I never meant to hurt you."

"And yet you did." Kia said bluntly. "You understand I cannot just let that go."

"So you are going to punish me." Loki sighed in resignation. Did he deserve it? Absolutely. He was a monster, after all.

"Not in the manner you are considering, I do not think." Kia informed him.

"So… what then?"

"I believe it's time you stopped being a drain on my finances and earn your keep." Kia said.

"You want me to work?" Loki bristled as Kia nodded. "I am a god and I do not-"

"You are a god taking advantage of my hospitality and have now injured me and stressed out my companion." Kia's voice was cool, firm. "I think the least you can do is help me either around the house or around the shop. A dose of humility will do you some good."

Loki's hands clenched. "And what is the alternative?"

"I let Aly go at you for a short period of time." Kia answered calmly. Loki stared at her. "I'm kidding, though I would have her run you out of this place and possibly up the street for good measure. Gods only know she wants to do it now already."

"So why not do it?" Loki snarled. Expulsion would be better than being forced to work, like some commoner.

"Because I don't turn my back on those who come to me for help."

"I did not come to you." Loki pointed out.

"Someone wanted you here, therefore, you came to me." Kia was infuriatingly confident in her reasoning. "So, which will it be? I will allow you the choice, but know that if you choose to be banned from this place, I've no control over Aly once she leaves this place. She will not harm you, but she will chase you towards the place most likely to be your downfall."

"Of course she will." Loki needed to decide whether it was worse to be made into a serf, or to be captured by the very people he'd come to destroy. The decision came much too easily in his opinion. "I will be your servant, for the moment."

"Don't sound so enthusiastic." Kia quipped. "And don't worry, I will not work his highness too hard."

"You are a pain." Loki groused. "When should I start?"

"You can start by making us something to eat, seeing as I'm nursing one massive headache." Kia suggested. "Unless that is too much for you."

"I have cultivated some culinary skills." Loki said defensively. "I can put them to use."

"Well then, please do so while I attempt to nap off this headache." Kia stood up and left the kitchen. Loki stared after her and his shoulders slumped. Though she'd acted like her usual cheerful self, there was a definite strain to her friendliness with him. If he wanted to be in her good graces again… Loki shook himself, because obviously he was merely using her as a means to an end, he cared not about her feelings in the matter, only that she allowed him to stay until he could come up with a suitable plan.

He stood up and opened the fridge, inspecting what was inside. He wouldn't do anything fancy, but he wouldn't make a horrible meal, though there might be a few surprises hidden in it. He chose a rather simple chicken dish, but liberally dosed it with chili powder. He marinated the chicken and used the sauce to mix with a pan of rice.

He could feel eyes on him as he worked, but he knew that it was simply Aly, waiting for him to slip up so that she could chase him away, permanently. A soft scolding sound made him turn his head. Pippin glared at him from his perch on one of the kitchen chairs.

"I suppose you're not happy with me either." Loki murmured. Pippin made a rude noise at him. Loki reached for him but Pippin snubbed him, turning his face away and snorting. "Contrary little beast." Pippin responded with another rude noise and leapt up on top of the pantry. "Does Kia know you have such a dirty mouth?" Pippin snorted and turned his back on him, apparently going to sleep.

Loki grumbled to himself, but kept on working. He'd done this to himself, so he couldn't really complain, but since he was the god of mischief he also didn't have to take it lying down. Once the chicken was done he made sure to pick the one piece that was not booby-trapped with spice as his own and placed the other on Kia's plate.

"Since I know that I am being watched, if you would be so kind as to inform Kia that dinner is ready, that would be much appreciated." Loki didn't hear Aly move, but he knew the little vampire was listening. A few moments later Kia came walking back in with Aly right behind her, glaring at Loki.

"Well, it smells good." Kia conceded as she sat down. Loki merely raised his eyebrows at her as he cut his chicken into small pieces and popped one into his mouth. Kia smiled slightly and did the same. Her next reaction was absolutely priceless.

Her eyes widened and she choked, putting a hand to her mouth as her eyes watered. She grabbed for her water glass and downed it in one gulp. Loki could not contain his laughter at the sight of her with tears streaming down her reddened face. Unbelievably, she began to laugh too.

"Oh my, I haven't had that much heat in my mouth since I was dared to try a Peruvian death pepper." She managed to choke out. Loki stared owlishly at her.

"You are not upset?"

"What would be the point of getting upset over a harmless prank?" Kia replied, wiping her tongue with a napkin. "You're the god of mischief, quite frankly I'd been expecting more mischief like this from you."

"Others would have been quite angered."

"I am not others." Kia reminded him. "It's good to see you do actually have a sense of humour underneath all that anger."

Loki frowned; okay, so he could get a reaction out of her by pulling a prank, but it wasn't the response he was hoping to get. A flood of ideas for pranks started up in his mind and he wondered if she would be able to remain so blasé about him if he continued to be an annoyance. Could be an interesting experiment, he decided.

"Uh oh, that look spells trouble." Kia commented, smiling at him while digging into her rice.

"You don't enjoy my chicken?" Loki asked innocently, seeing that she'd pushed it to the edge of her plate.

"I do enjoy spicy foods, but I think you need to curb your enthusiasm a little bit." Kia smiled, a genuine, warm smile this time. Loki relaxed a little, seeing that some of Kia's aloof attitude had gone away. Good, keep on her good side, but poke at her a little bit, find her limits but don't go beyond them. Find her weaknesses.

"I will be turning in early." Kia sighed, pushing away from the table. "Tomorrow I will be waking you up to help me in the shop." Loki bristled unintentionally and then simply stabbed moodily at his food.

"Of course." He muttered.

"Oh, and you can do the dishes as well tonight, seeing as I'm still battling a headache." Kia added as she walked out of the kitchen. Loki looked at the dishes in the sink and then at Aly, who was glaring a hole into his forehead.

"I'll bet you're enjoying this." He growled. She hissed at him. "Little monster." Loki mumbled. She pointed a finger at him, shaking it in his face. "Alright, no need to get testy." She huffed and swallowed the last gulp of blood from her glass and then shoved it at him before stalking off towards Kia's room. "Why do I postpone my plans like this?" Loki wondered aloud, massaging his temples. All this time to himself, and he'd yet to come up with any ideas for revenge, and he had no idea why.

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Star: Review plz!


	12. Chapter 12

Star: I own nothing!

Loki stood at the top of the stairs leading down into the shop. He was supposed to help in the shop this morning, which was just going to be another humiliating situation for him. More so because there would be others there to watch him being ordered about and they would probably talk and likely taunt him.

"Well? Going to stand there all day while there's work to be done?" Kia called from within the shop. Loki huffed and stomped down the stairs. Kia gave him her signature amused look as he appeared in the shop.

"What do you wish of me?" Loki asked, more or less politely.

"My first task for you is to go through the various potions and find those that have expired and take them off the shelves." Kia told him. "The dates of expiration are marked on the bottom. I have a box for you to put them in."

"What happens if you use an expired potion?" Loki asked, curious. He moved to take the box being held out to him.

"Depends on the potion. Most of mine are simply to ease pain or various skin and muscle conditions that plague supernaturals, so it's more so that they won't work. The more… interesting potions, however, if used past expiration date can have very different effects than what was intended."

"Such as?" Loki prompted.

"Well there was one potion, a morph potion, which was meant to temporarily turn the user into an animal which instead turned them into a walking tree." Kia chuckled. "It wasn't too bad, although it took a little time to reverse the effects and they had the urge to follow the sunlight for some time after."

"Interesting." Loki mused distractedly, wandering around the shelves. Every time he found a potion he lifted it up and inspected the sticker with the handwritten date on it and either put it in the box or left it alone. He contemplated screwing up Kia's system by leaving the expired and taking the good, but that seemed too mundane a trick for him and was probably anticipated.

As he was working the chimes over the door tinkled and a wiry red-headed boy stepped in, looking around and turned into what looked like a red fox standing on its hind legs and wearing clothes. The creature wore a cheeky grin as he sauntered over to Kia.

"Morning, lovely." He said in a typical New York city drawl.

"And a good morning to you, Tommy." Kia chuckled in reply. "Come for your mother's paw cream?"

"Yeah, carpal tunnel's flaring up again." Tommy agreed. "I keep telling her she needs to take a break, take a vacation, but you know my ma."

"She's a stubborn woman." Kia smiled. "Just give me a second to find it." Tommy nodded and turned around, spying Loki, who leveled a glare at him.

"She got you earning your keep, huh?" The foxy face split into a grin, revealing sharp fangs. "You're Loki, aren't you?"

"The God of Mischief, mortal, show some respect."

"Kitsune don't show respect to no one unless they think they deserve it." Tommy grinned again. "Though I could probably get behind a god of mischief as my deity."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Don't know much about kitsune, do you?" The wide grin had not left Tommy's face. "We're pranksters, tricksters in Japanese legends. Now don't you think a deity that is all about mischief would appeal to someone like me?"

"You don't seem too concerned about the fact that this particular god almost destroyed your world." Loki pointed out.

"Yeah, sure, I know that. But, Kia let you into her home, which means something to us." Tommy told him. "And you don't cross Kia, she's practically a god herself."

"From what I understand about her, that's a fair assessment." Loki said with interest. "Makes me wonder."

"You're not alone in that." Tommy said.

"Here you are, Tommy, how's school going by the way?" Kia asked, handing a small jar to Tommy.

"Oh, you know, I just got into a little school called Harvard." Tommy's grin grew to face-splitting proportions as Kia laughed and reached over the desk to hug him.

"Congratulations, you've certainly earned it." She said to him. "Now, be on your way, I'm sure your mother will be wanting that."

"Yes ma'am!" Tommy saluted cheekily, winked once at Loki and then strutted out the door, throwing up his human illusion as he did so.

"Kitsune?" Loki asked.

"Japanese supernatural, very long lived. For every century they see, they grow another tail. Tommy is very young, he's only got one tail so far." Kia explained. "They have a long adolescence and middle-life. Some have lived up to a thousand years."

"Interesting." Loki muttered. "But there's something more interesting on my mind."

"Oh?"

"The fact that you choose to hide in the shadows, when you have enough power to rule this pathetic realm. In fact, I think that it's strange that all of you supernaturals are hiding away from humans, when you're so much stronger, so much better-"

"Better? Why would you consider us to be better?" Kia asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

"You have powers they cannot even begin to comprehend…"

"And somehow that puts us above them?" Kia queried. "No, we are not better than them because we have some power. We are just as cruel, just as petty, and just as fallible as any human, as are you."

"Excuse me?"

"You consider us, supernaturals included, beneath you because of your powers, but you are the same as us because of your faults. You cannot say you are better than us, because stripped of those fantastic powers, you are just like us in the end."

"Mind your tongue, mortal." Loki hissed, raising one hand. He lowered it at a warning hiss emanating from somewhere in the shop. He looked around, but was unable to see Aly.

"As for us going into hiding, it was decided at a time when humans began to fear us more than they viewed us as neighbours and was not significantly protested and has not been significantly protested since its inception." Kia explained, aquamarine eyes watching him warily.

"Why? Why hide?"

"The other alternative was war." Kia said bluntly. "We were not willing to be responsible for the deaths of possibly millions of beings and the possibility that in the end, they would have a real reason to fear us."

"That seems… reasonable." Loki admitted. "Are all supernaturals pacifists or something?"

"Hardly." Kia laughed. "On the whole we're practical, but we're, most of us, extremely passionate and emotional creatures, just like humans are. Unlike humans, we have several species among us who are very long lived and so understand how to look beyond the immediate to predict the consequences of our actions. Humans are getting better at that though."

"Do you ever think about revealing yourselves?" Kia smiled slightly.

"There's talk about doing it soon." She revealed. "Humankind seems to be losing their fear of the unknown, as reflected by their literature and media."

"What do you mean?" Loki asked.

"The attitude of human beings can be observed through the works that they allow to be published. There has been an interest of late in stories about mythical creatures that are not the villains and are in fact just as human as humans." Kia informed him. "Humans are becoming more comfortable with the idea of magic as well."

"What's stopping you then?"

"The attitude towards mutants at the moment for one thing." Kia sighed. "I'd love to say supernaturals are not just as prejudiced, but that would be a lie."

"And you try not to lie." Loki reminded her. She gave him a tired little smile.

"Precisely."

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Star: Review plz!


	13. Chapter 13

Star: I own nothing!

"Not a bad day at all." Kia sighed as she turned the shop's sign to saying closed.

"We were invaded by Minotaurs." Loki commented grumpily, sweeping up the floor and frowning at the scuff marks from careless hooves.

"A new child is an occasion, they felt the need to include someone they view as a community leader in the festivities." Kia calmly picked a broken talisman off the floor. "I do not mind a few broken items in the event of happiness."

"So Helen had her baby." Loki said quietly. The mood was lighter than it had been in the few days since his little mishap with Kia. Of course there was always Aly lurking in the shadows, but Kia was friendlier today, perhaps simply because she was happy.

"Healthy, both the mother and the child, thank the gods for that." Kia sighed. "We're lucky we have so many resources at our disposal now."

"I'm surprised they did not call you in to assist with the birth." Loki had no idea if she had any skill as a midwife, but it was worth a shot.

"Most supernaturals have a family member or a close friend who is a midwife. Very common for older supernaturals to get into." Kia explained. "I have done some, but most prefer the touch of someone close to them."

"I can understand that, I suppose." Loki admitted. "Seems to me your shop is more for socializing than for commerce."

"It is meant to be." Kia replied. "A centre of unity, you could say. A place to exchange news and catch up with friends."

"And you started it all." Loki shook his head. "How they must revere you."

"Makes me uncomfortable, to be honest, and makes me wonder if when I am gone for good they will immortalize me as a goddess." Kia shrugged her shoulders. "I want none of that, I am content."

"How can you be content with just being this when you could have so much more?" Loki demanded.

"Because I feel I am doing something worthwhile, and that's all the reward, all the payback I need." Kia sighed. "I've known kings, emperors and presidents and I have seen that it is lonely at the top. I prefer a life where I can trust the people that are close to me, thank you very much."

"Odin had told both Thor and I that we were meant to be kings, but he lied." Loki murmured.

"And you feel that you deserve the throne?" Loki nodded his head. "Did Odin ever seeing explicitly that you would not have a throne?"

"He was going to crown Thor king, and besides, why would he want a Jotun on his throne?" Loki said, trying to hide the self-loathing in his voice.

"MY experience with kings is that they have plans for everything. You may not have gotten the full story before jumping to conclusions and trying to prove those assumptions wrong."

"So you're saying it's alright that Odin hid my true parentage and raised me to hate my own kind?" Loki snarled.

"No, I didn't say that. Once again you are leaping to conclusions." Kia softly said. "I think that hiding those things from you was a mistake, and raising you in hatred for your own kind was stupid and negligent, but he is probably not the demon you make him out to be, just as you are not the demon everyone, including yourself, make you out to be."

"And you can tell that for certain?" Loki demanded. "It's in my blood."

"You are who you choose to be." Kia declared. "You are only a monster if that is what you choose." Loki shook his head, unable to believe her. Kia's eyes softened as she looked up at him.

"The Goddess does not waste Her time, or my time, on people She feels aren't worth it." She whispered, touching his arm lightly. "She sees something in you."

"I can't imagine what." Loki muttered, following Kia upstairs. Kia gave him a soft, sad smile in reply. Loki hoped she wouldn't start lecturing him again, he'd had all he could stand of that at the current moment. The phone rang thankfully and Kia wandered over to answer it.

"Hello? Oh, hi there how are….yes?...Oh, oh dear….you want me to come?...Okay Aly and I will be there soon… yes, gods be with you." Kia hung up and sighed. "Loki, Aly and I have to go out, you'll be fine here on your own?"

"I'm no child, you don't need to supervise me all the time." Loki scoffed. Kia nodded distractedly and headed out the door. Aly scampered after her. Loki heard the front door close and he let out a sigh. He had no idea what was happening, but obviously Kia trusted him enough to be alone in the house, which gave him a little bit of hope that he'd repaired what he'd damaged.

A whistle drew his attention and he found Pippin sitting up on his haunches on the kitchen table. "Let me guess, Kia left you in charge?" Pippin chirruped in agreement. "Would you like some dinner?" Pippin burbled and nodded his head. "Alright, I suppose I can make us both something."

It was kind of unnerving to be in the house without Kia there. Loki found the silence, though at first a blessing, to be quite honest it made him nervous. Suddenly the house wasn't so familiar, it wasn't so friendly. It was simply that it lacked the enormous, peaceful, lively presence that was Kia. He actually missed it.

He turned in early for the night, there wasn't much for him to do anyways. He lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. There weren't any of the usual sounds, the soft sighs Kia let out as she got ready for bed, Aly's soft purring growls, the creak of the bed settling and even the whisper of sleeping breaths that he could just make out in the middle of the night. It took him awhile to fall asleep.

He woke up, not quite sure what had woken him. There was a weight on his head, and reaching up he encountered warm scales. "Pippin." He groaned. There was a sleepy whistle in reply. "Get off, you little cretin." Pippin grumbled but Loki felt the weight drop off his head.

He sat up, listening carefully. A clink from the kitchen drew his attention, as did a long, forlorn sigh. He frowned and got up out of bed, padding quietly down the hallway. He peeked into the kitchen and found Kia sitting at the table, head in her hands, a bottle, a shot glass and a photo sitting in front of her.

He stepped into the kitchen and immediately he heard Aly hiss at him. "Aly, please." Kia's voice was dull, so unlike her that Loki immediately was on edge. He walked closer, wondering at why Kia didn't even bother to lift her head at him. The bottle was alcohol, and there was some gone already.

"Are you getting drunk?" Loki asked, surprised.

"Trying to." Kia admitted, pouring herself a shot. "Don't think it will work, have a pretty high tolerance."

"Why all the sudden this?" Loki asked, sitting down across from her. Kia slid the photo across to him. Loki stared at the elderly kappa smiling into the camera.

"That is a very old friend, his name is, was, Arata. He died tonight, that's where I was, watching by his bed as he slowly faded out." Kia gulped down her shot and put down the glass again.

"You are sad for him." Loki said.

"No, I'm happy for him, he's gone to a good place, I'm sad for me." Kia corrected him. "The downfall of being ageless is that you watch those you care about grow old and leave you while you remain the same." She sighed heavily. "It's moments like this when I really feel my age."

"And your solution is to get drunk?" Loki asked, taking the bottle and sniffing it. He wrinkled his nose at the strong smell of vodka. He'd never enjoyed alcohol much, just another reminder that he wasn't the same as the rest of his false family.

"Sometimes you just want to forget, numb the pain." Kia explained. "I've seen so many people die, Loki. So many people I've loved, so many innocents." Her voice was plaintive as she stared at him, anguished eyes piercing his soul. "Can you imagine watching your brother die?"

Loki, about to protest, found his throat closing up at the thought of Thor, big, strong Thor, dying while he looked on, helpless to do anything. He thought of the times he'd healed Thor after a battle, the sick feeling of dread at seeing Thor's blood, knowing it was his life that was spilling out of him. He thought about when he'd sent Thor plummeting to perhaps his death and felt queasy. He swallowed thickly and hated himself for what he was about to say.

"I could not imagine watching Thor die, I don't think I could handle it." He admitted.

"I've had to do it, so many times, for people that I love and think of as family." Kia brushed a tear from her cheek. "Sometimes believe it would be easier not to have friends. It hurts too much."

"Why do you allow yourself to be hurt?" Loki asked, trying to understand. Kia smiled slightly at him.

"Because the pain means that it meant something, that they made memories worth crying over." She told him. "Because if you want to have laughter in your life, you also have to be able to accept tears."

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Star: So, this will be the last update for almost three weeks. I am taking a field course for school, and there is no internet where we are going. I may be able to work on chapters while I'm gone, so hopefully I'll have something new for you all as soon as I get back. So, I'll see you all in a little while, I promise not to get lost or eaten by ravenous chipmunks!


	14. Chapter 14

Star: I own nothing!

Loki stirred the pancake mixture, eying Kia out of the corner of his eye. She didn't seem too sick for someone who had had as much alcohol as she did last night. She smiled wanly when she discovered him scrutinizing her but quickly the corners of her mouth fell again, lines of grief etched into her face.

"Do you wish for me to open the store without you?" Loki queried, dumping some of the pancake mix into the pan.

"I… perhaps." Kia conceded. "If I make you a detailed list will you be able to give out potions I keep behind my counter?"

"I think I am intelligent enough to figure it out." Loki replied haughtily. Kia smiled lightly at his remark. He slapping a few pancakes on a plate and slid it over to Kia.

"You are a godsend." She praised halfheartedly, picking at the pancakes.

"I put all that effort into making the pancakes, and you're not even going to eat them?" Loki groused, taking a few for himself.

"Ooh yes, because making pancakes from a box takes such an effort." Kia teased. Loki huffed, but it was good to see some of her spirit back already. He would be nice for now, while she was grieving. She'd given him something to think about last night, about taking the tears with the laughter. He'd been hurt by his not-family, yes, but there had been good times as well, especially with his former brother. Did Thor feel the same?

"I suppose I should get down there to open up." Loki said, having finished his breakfast. Kia nodded, not really paying attention as she rubbed Aly's head while the little vampire hugged her. For once Aly didn't hiss at him as he went by, but that might have simply been because she was busy comforting her friend.

Loki unlocked the door of the shop and was immediately dealing with a young Gorgon with a malfunctioning mirror spell on her sunglasses. Once he'd gotten her calmed down and found a new pair of glasses for her he wandered around doing inventory and sweeping up the shop. Several supernaturals came in and voiced their approval of Loki giving Kia a day off. Loki, unused to such attention, didn't say much to these words of praise, though he felt a flutter of pride.

It was getting close to noon when he had an unusual encounter. The chimes announced the arrival of yet another customer in the shop. Loki, having been writing in the shop's inventory book, looked up in time to find an old satyr staring at him.

"Can I help you?" Loki asked. The disheveled creature looked a little mad, with white wiry hair sticking up in all directions and hazel-green eyes staring at him with an intensity that was almost frightening. His left horn was chipped and he had the body of someone who worked with heavy lifting for a living.

"You help Kia, run shop while she rests, yes?" The old goat-man's accent was heavy and it took Loki a moment to understand him. He nodded his head and the old creature smiled toothily. "Is good, is good, good man. Kia believe in you, yes? Believe in you when no one else will, just like she believe in me when I say I want to be great weapon-smith."

"I see…"

"She no let me make weapon for her though, say she fine with what she has. Good weapon, I guess, not mine, but still good. You fight?"

"I did." Loki answered, a little disturbed when the satyr reached across and gripped his arm.

"Wiry, good muscle." The satyr murmured, poking and prodding at him. "You favour throwing weapons, but will use long weapon, maybe like staff, if have to fight man-to-man, yes?"

"Yes, how did you-"

"Psh, part of job." The satyr released him. "Maybe I make you weapon, because you good man and help Kia, maybe." He turned and clopped to the door. "I return sometime, maybe have something good for you." The old satyr winked and then trotted out the front door.

"What in the hell was that all about?" Loki wondered aloud. He shook it off, dismissing it as the crazy ramblings of an old goat, and continued to work. It was a peaceful kind of work, punctuated by moments of social interaction, which, while not normally something Loki enjoyed, was not as painful to endure as he would have thought. None of the people speaking to him looked down on him as the rest of Asgard had and most even seemed genuinely content to merely chat with him for a few moments. To feel accepted like this was something new to Loki, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it all.

He didn't even break for lunch, used to long days studying in the library with little to nothing to eat. He closed up the shop, sighing slightly in both tiredness and relief. It had been a long day, and being polite had been a little trying after some time when all he wanted was to be left to his own devices.

Kia was nowhere to be found when he got up to the apartment and he growled as he realized he was probably meant to make dinner. He decided that he could go without dinner tonight, and there was no cause to be coddling Kia, she was older than he after all.

A delightfully wicked idea occurred to him, staring at the kitchen furniture. He waved his hand and the table and chairs floated up, turned themselves upside down and stuck themselves to the ceiling. Loki viewed his latest mischief with smug pride and turned to go to his room, confident the prank would get a better reaction than the last.

He'd 'borrowed' one of Kia's memoirs to read and was making his way through the tale of her encounters with King Arthur. All the sudden he heard a deep belly laugh coming from elsewhere in the house. Perplexed he abandoned his reading and padded out to see what was going on. He didn't expect to see Kia, standing in the middle of the kitchen, staring up at the furniture and laughing her head off. Aly was standing there too and when she saw him she merely gave him a look that managed to convey equal measures of admiration, bemusement and admonishment.

Kia noticed him finally and smiled widely. "Now this, this is a good sense of humour." She declared, gesturing up at the furniture. "This is funny."

"It is, isn't it?" Loki agreed, smiling up at his prank. "No one else seems to appreciate that though."

"Speaking as one who has travelled with a great many mischief-makers, whoever doesn't find this funny has something wrong with their sense of humour." Kia informed him. She then did something shocking. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his middle in a tight hug. It was almost comical because of their height differences, but Loki was too flabbergasted to even laugh.

"What…What are you doing?" He demanded.

"I wanted to thank you, I needed a laugh today." Kia replied. "I know you don't mean to be, but you make a good friend."

"Can you believe I've never been told that?" Loki tried to make it sound like a joke, but it came out sounding flat. Kia stepped back to look at him.

"You've always been on the outside, looking in, haven't you?" She asked.

"I was neither brawny or warlike, and chose to study magic, which is typically not a manly thing to do." Loki explained. "I'm also sure that rumours of my true parentage went around, and while I never heard them, I'm sure that those of my generation were cautioned against befriending me. The Warriors Three and Lady Sif were sometimes friendly to me, but they regarded me with some contempt as well. The only one who did not…" Loki trailed off, hating where this conversation had led him.

"Thor." Kia supplied thoughtfully. "That is what you were about to say, was it not?"

"Yes…" Loki said reluctantly.

"There are children who have taken guns to school and shot people for less than what I think you've endured for centuries." Kia mused. "I think it's a testament to your perseverance that you hadn't snapped before this point, but I suppose finding out something as world-changing as being a different species from the rest of your family would do that to you."

"Especially since that species are monsters." Loki muttered. Kia sighed and shook her head at him.

"May I see your Jotun form?" She asked.

"Why?"

"Because I didn't really get a chance to look at you the first time and I'm curious." Kia told him. "I understand if you're not comfortable with it, but I am merely curious."

Loki considered saying no for a second, but Kia had already sort of seen him that way, and had not kicked him out. "Very well." He closed his eyes and allowed himself to change, not wanting to look at himself. He opened his eyes when he was done and stared down at Kia, waiting.

"I said it before, but that really is a lovely shade of blue." Kia murmured, reaching out to touch his arm. "You're not as cold as I would have expected. The lines are interesting." She traced one of his markings, far too gently for Loki's liking.

"How can you not find this monstrous?" He demanded. Kia didn't answer, she cupped his face and stared into his eyes.

"What kind of person would you consider yourself before you found out what you were?" She asked.

"I was the god of mischief, but… I don't think I was a bad person."

"So how does finding out about your true parentage change that?" Loki stared. He understood what she was saying, but he could hardly believe it. "You define yourself, Loki, you choose who you are. So tell me, what do you choose?"

"Would it be bad to say that I wish time to try and sort that out?" Loki asked.

"No, of course not." Kia smiled. "You are welcome here for however long you need."

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Star: Well, obviously I survived, yay!


	15. Chapter 15

Star: I own nothing!

Kia felt better enough to make them both dinner, after she'd gotten Loki to remove the furniture from the ceiling, of course. It was during dinner that Loki remembered his odd encounter of the day. "I met someone interesting today, an old satyr. He rambled on about making weapons, I think he might have been mad."

Kia chortled gently. "There's a fine line between genius and madness, my friend. The satyr you met is Amos the GreatSmith. He is the single greatest weapon's smith to have ever lived, a genius you could say, and he definitely straddles that line."

"He said he might make me a weapon sometime." Loki added.

"If he does you should consider it a huge honour, he does not often just make a weapon for someone without them paying him." Kia explained. "He offered to make me one, but-"

"You already have one, yes, he informed me of that. He said you were the one to believe in him."

"Satyrs are typical artists of some kind. It is the centaurs and the Minotaurs that are more often smiths. Amos knew early on what he wanted to be, but most just scoffed at him. I encouraged him, pulled a few strings to get him apprenticed, and the rest you could say is history."

"You help things along, little bit by little bit, you make the world turn the way you want it." Loki said, surprised that he'd not seen it sooner, the way she manipulated things just that slight bit. She cocked her head and smiled at him, her impossibly ancient eyes pinning his soul as they always did.

"Not the way I want it." She told him. "I serve a higher power, remember?"

"You are the strangest being I have ever met in my life." Loki shook his head, exasperated and amused. "I might just stick around simply because you're so interesting."

"Ooh, should I feel flattered?" Kia teased. "I suppose it might be slightly interesting to have a god continue to live here, but only just slightly." Loki's lips twitched up in a faint smile. It was good to have someone who snarked back at him. Thor just gave him either confused or hurt looks when he tried for sarcasm.

"I'll have to work harder at making my stay more interesting then." He fired back, pleased to see her grin at his challenge.

"I look forward to you trying."

"You tempt the god of mischief, I don't think that's wise."

"Who said I was wise?" Kia shrugged, still grinning at him. Loki smirked and shook his head; this could be a lot of fun.

%&%&%&%

Kia blinked at Loki and then tilted her head at him as he came out for breakfast. "What's this for?" She asked.

"What?" Loki asked, feigning confusion as he sat down. Aly glared at him, but did not hiss for once. He considered that a bit of a step forward with the little vampire. Kia wrinkled her nose at him.

"Out with it, god of mischief, I thought you hated this look?" Loki looked down at his hands, flexing his blue fingers and watching the markings on his skin stretch.

"I suppose it's a bit of an experiment on my part." He said ponderously.

"Trying to come to terms with yourself?" Kia asked. Loki shrugged his shoulders noncommittally. "You'll get a lot of curious questions in the store."

"That was sort of what I was going for." Loki admitted. He wanted to see if anyone truly cared about what he was, if they would view him as a monster now. Kia would probably shake her head at him for being, in her mind, silly, but he had to know.

"Alright, let's get the shop opened up for business then. I'll do the dishes, you can head down without me."

Loki opened up the shop and the gorgon girl from the other day barged right in, looking panicked. "I'm sorry, I broke them again, I'm really sorry… hey you're blue." The girl wasn't looking straight at him, but had her head turned to the side and eyes trained down. If she looked anyone in the eye they'd turn to stone.

"Yes." Loki prompted. The diamondback snakes that replaced normal human hair watched him attentively, heads cocked and tongues flickering in and out. The girl went to lift her eyes and then clamped her hands over them. "I don't think you could turn me to stone, I'm not mortal, and even if you did, I know Kia has a remedy."

"You're right…" The girl said slowly and then lifted her eyes to meet his. They were golden and slit-pupiled, like a reptile. "Oh good." She sighed in relief. Loki looked her over quickly. Her skin was milky pale and she wore a baby blue t-shirt and ripped jeans. In one red-nailed hand she held her broken sunglasses. "You know, that's a really nice colour on you."

"You're the second person who's told me that." Loki said with a smile.

"So… what's the deal with the blue anyways?"

"I'm a Jotun, a frost giant." He bit his lip and then continued. "They tried to exterminate the human race once, they're… we're… supposed to be monsters, all the stories say so."

The gorgon girl smiled brightly at him. "You should hear the stories they tell about gorgons." She declared. "I think you're a nice enough guy, even if you did try to blow up New York."

"Sally, Sally, Sally." Kia sighed as she stepped down the stairs. "What are we going to do with you?"

"I'm sorry." Sally squeaked. "I just don't know how I keep breaking them."

"Peace, Sally, we are working on a more…durable model for you. For now I'll set you up with two pairs so that you have a spare." Kia told her, careful not to look her in the eyes.

"Thank you!" Sally cried, hugging Kia tight while her 'hair' hissed in what sounded like a happy manner.

"You're welcome, now run along, school's starting soon." Kia gently pushed Sally towards the door. Sally skipped to the door and then stopped, looking back at Loki.

"Are you going to stay blue?" She asked.

"Perhaps…" Loki shrugged.

"Well, either way you're cute." Sally blushed deeply, clamping a hand over her mouth and then rushed out the door.

"Well, it seems our Sally has a crush on you." Kia commented, obviously trying not to laugh. Loki opened and closed his mouth, unable to formulate a response to that. He'd never really been seen as crush-worthy before, always the gawky, quiet, strange one.

He was saved from trying to find something to say by Ferd and Helena walking in with a baby stroller in tow. "Trying out for the Blue Man Group?" Ferd asked, noticing Loki's new look. Loki gave him a blank look in reply. "It's a musical band, of sorts." Ferd explained. "Er, why are you blue, anyways?"

Loki explained his parentage and the stigma against them for a second time. Like with Sally he was met with a chuckle and a declaration that he should 'hear what they have to say about me in those stories'. Kia was holding a large bull calf that grasped at her ears with stubby fingers and bleated happily as the wolf-girl cooed at him.

"His name's Samuel." Ferd said with obvious pride in his voice. "Little small for a Minotaur, but he's got human in him too, so there you go. Do you have kids at all?"

"Yes, a few." Loki didn't mention half of them were considered monsters. "He looks healthy."

"Thanks be to the gods." Helena sighed. Without preamble she deposited baby Sam in Loki's arms. "There's so many complications when it comes to interspecies births." Loki nodded his head, shifting the baby to a more comfortable position. Sam bleated at him and waved a stubby hand at his face.

"He's certainly enthusiastic." He commented as he was nearly smacked in the eye. He tickled the little creature under the chin and was rewarded with a warbling laugh. Helena and Ferd beamed, every inch the proud parents.

"Well, we'd best be going, supposed to be dropping him off with his granny so that we can have a day to ourselves." Helena declared and Loki handed Sam back to her. "You're pretty good with kids." She complimented Loki.

"Maybe I'll lend him out to you as a babysitter." Kia teased, smiling at the mock-angry look Loki fired her way.

"Do that and you'll find your bed on the ceiling." He countered playfully in return. Ferd and Helena chuckled and then headed out the door. "Well, this is going well."

"I hate to say I told you so…" Kia's eyes danced merrily as he huffed at her, shaking his head.


	16. Chapter 16

Star: I own nothing!

Steve rolled his eyes as Clint and Tony argued about whatever it was they were arguing about. He'd decided the team needed to get out of the tower and do something relaxing. They'd chosen a movie, which had gone over well, but now there were multiple arguments going on about the validity of the movie, the effects, the acting and whatever else the team could think of.

Thor was the only other one not arguing, he just seemed to be moping. Steve could hardly blame him. It had been nearly three weeks since Loki had disappeared from Asgard, and so far they'd heard not a peep from him. It was starting to look like he had died from his injuries. The possibility hurt Thor deeply, and he was out any time they weren't on missions, searching for his wayward brother. It was concerning to see the normally larger-than-life, booming voiced god looking tired and worn down.

"We'll find him." He said quietly. He received a wan smile in reply.

"It is a nice sentiment Steve, but…" Thor sighed deeply. Steve looked away, at a loss of what to say. One of the shops along the street caught his eye and he paused to look.

"Hey Steve, what are you…hey I've never seen this place before." Tony was suddenly at his side, looking up in interest at the shop's sign. "I've walked down this street many times, and I've never seen this place. Paranormal Emporium, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Probably some geek shop." Clint said. "And you've probably never seen it because it's new."

"The lettering on the sign is too faded for it to be new, looks like it's been here a little while actually." Bruce intervened.

"Well, let's see what's inside then." Tony grinned, practically skipping up to the door.

"Tony…" Steve sighed. What harm could it do, it was just a shop after all.

"It's probably some novelty shop, nothing to be afraid of." Tony gestured for them to come. Natasha rolled her eyes, but all of them wandered up and Tony opened the door to the musical sound of windchimes. Steve took a moment to adjust his eyes to the lower lighting inside and breathed in the spice-scented air.

There was a crack as something dropped to the floor nearby and Steve looked around at the sound. He stared in confusion at the tall, blue-skinned man who was regarding them with wide red eyes. The rest of the team was staring too, now that they'd seen what, or rather who, Steve was looking at. Thor, however, had a different reaction.

"LOKI!" He bellowed, taking a big step forward which had the blue man, Loki, jumping backwards into a nearby wall. Without looking Steve knew Natasha had her gun out and Clint was scrambling for his bow hidden in his backpack.

"Put the weapons away." The voice behind them was calm, authoritative and… familiar. Steve saw Natasha lower her gun with a mildly puzzled look on her face while Thor strode up to his brother and prevented his escape by gripping his forearms. Loki's look of alarm was replaced by careful wariness as Thor began speaking softly. "It's nice to see you again, Captain America."

Steve turned slowly and stared at the, seemingly, young woman standing there. The white hair and bright blue eyes were familiar, as was the tiny red-haired girl that watched them all warily from behind her. He let out a strangled noise of disbelief as he noticed the snow-white wolf ears poking through her halo of hair.

"You can't be…" He gulped. "Nurse Kia, but…"

"You can't be alive, either." Kia reminded him. She tilted her head to look behind them at Loki and Thor. "Do you need any assistance, Loki?" Loki shook his head. "Aly, close up the shop please. Why don't you all join me upstairs for some coffee? I think the two gods have some things to work out."

Steve nodded to the others and followed Kia upstairs. "She's got a tail too." Tony murmured behind him, sounding awestruck.

"And these ears are not just for show, Mr. Stark." Kia's voice was amused. "I'm afraid I don't entertain this many guests usually, so I don't have enough seats for all of you. Thankfully Loki's not glued the furniture to the ceiling today."

Steve blinked at the comment, but put it out of his head. "Kia Quick." He said sternly. She turned and lifted an eyebrow at him as she set the kettle to boiling. "I am a special circumstance in regards to being the same as in the war, but I don't think that you share the same circumstances. I need to be convinced you are the same nurse I met in the war. Tell me something that no one who wasn't there the night I visited your field hospital would know."

"You mean how you held the hand of a dying german boy?" Kia asked. Steve shut his eyes.

_/Flashback/_

_They did this sort of thing sometimes, going around to the wounded and saying hello. It was good for the newspapers, good for the soldiers too, or so they said. Steve didn't like it, not because he didn't like talking to the men in the hospitals, but because he knew that many of the people he was talking to would be dead in maybe days. He did it though, because the way some of those kids' faces lit up made everything worth it. _

"_Captain America, my, what an honour to have you here." The young woman in the field hospital tent smiled at him, washing her hands of blood. She patted the scarf holding her prematurely white hair in place and stood straight. "I am Kia Quick, I am the nurse in charge of this hospital. My assistant, Aly." She indicated a small girl gently dabbing a patient's brow in cold water. "I'll ask simply that you not get them too excited, many of these boys are badly injured." _

_Steve and the rest of the Commandos moved around the tent, talking to the patients. As they were about to leave again a small voice piped up from a corner. "Cap-Capitan America." The voice was young, with a thick German accent. Steve, ignoring the rumblings of his fellows, searched for the voice. _

_The boy who'd spoken was lying in a bed in a darkened corner. One hand was manacled to the cot he was lying on. Huge brown eyes stared at him from a face so pale Steve could have probably counted every single individual freckle on it. The kid couldn't be much older than seventeen, he thought, as he knelt down beside the German boy and smiled. _

"_What's your name, son?" He asked gently. The boy smiled weakly at him._

"_Hans." He said, and then coughed thickly. "You big hero, Capitan."_

"_Even to the Germans?" Steve asked. Hans nodded his head. _

"_You defender of weak." Hans gasped out. "Am I go to hell?" He suddenly asked, voice small and scared. Steve blinked at him. He saw how pale and weak the kid was; he wasn't going to last much longer._

"_Why would you think that?" He asked._

"_They say fight, we fight bad guys, but all I fight are boys, like me, scared, like me." Hans confessed, big brown eyes wet as he stared pleadingly at Steve. "I did not know…"_

"_Shh, it's alright." Steve took the boy's small hand. "You're only following orders, you're not evil. God will welcome you home when it's time." _

"_Thank…you…" Hans smiled weakly, his voice nearly inaudible now. Steve held his hand until his eyes closed and he slipped into unconsciousness. He then stood up and walked out of the tent, blinking away the tears that threatened to fall._

"_It's rare to find such kindness." Kia said, coming up beside him. "Thank you."_

"_He's dying, isn't he?" Steve asked._

"_Yes, he likely won't last the night, but it may be of some comfort to you to know that he will die knowing someone cares about him." Kia responded. Steve discreetly wiped at his eyes. "War is a terrible thing, Captain, I hope to see the end of it soon. To many wounded children."_

"_You know, you here, you're the real heroes. You give these soldiers what they need." Kia smiled at him, her bright eyes somehow older than she seemed to be. _

"_I merely heal their bodies, you, Captain, give them something more than I ever could." She tapped the star on his chest. "You give them hope."_

_/End Flashback/_

"Do you still inspire hope, Captain?" Kia asked, bringing Steve out of his reverie.

"I like to think so, ma'am." Steve said humbly. "How are you…?"

"A spell, invoked a long time ago." Kia explained.

"Why is Loki here?" Clint growled. "Do you know what he's done?"

"Yes, I do, Mr. Barton. He is here because he dropped in on my doorstep and I do not believe in coincidences." Kia said gently. "He has stayed because I think he likes it here. And before you ask how I can harbour him, let me ask if any of you can say that you do not have some amount of blood on your hands?"

The Avengers were quiet. Clint lowered his eyes under Kia's fierce stare. "That doesn't change what he did." He growled stubbornly.

"Clint," Natasha took his hand. "I've got as much blood on my hands as Loki does, you chose to trust me."

"It's rare to find a soul so twisted there is no hope for redemption." Kia stated. "I serve Life, therefore it is my task first and foremost to try and protect all Life's children, even those that have been outcast or called monsters. I will not allow him to come to harm, that is my only warning."

Steve was about to reply when heavy footfalls sounded on the stairs. Thor and Loki walked into the kitchen, the latter having changed back to his regular form, eyes suspiciously bloodshot. Kia nodded at them both.

"Well now, I do believe it's decision time."


	17. Chapter 17

Star: I own nothing!

Thor pinned Loki to the corner, hands gripping his biceps tight. Unfamiliar crimson eyes stared at him, anger and fear warring within their depths. He should let go, he knew he was only making Loki anxious, but he couldn't allow Loki the chance to slip away, and if he was nervous, perhaps he wouldn't think to use his magic to get away.

"Be still, brother." He murmured. "I only wish to speak."

"If you mean to convince me to go back to Asgard, you are deluded." Loki's voice was vicious, cutting, but there was a tremor of fear beneath the surface.

"No, I would not. I know that would only mean more pain for you." Thor said quickly. Loki stared into his eyes and Thor felt the younger relax minutely, his expression turning guarded, but no longer afraid. Thor ignored the kerfuffle behind them, taking a moment to look on his brother in his Jotun form. There was an instinctive part of him that warned him to get a weapon, but he could still see Loki and not just the creature he was taught to hate and so that helped. "The colour suits you, brother."

"Do you need assistance, Loki?" Thor turned at the voice, regarding the diminutive wolf-woman with faint surprise. He was relieved when Loki shook his head and the woman led the rest of the team upstairs.

"What do you want Thor, if you do not mean to take me back?" Loki asked quietly, his eyes darting away from Thor's.

"My first wish is to know that you are alright." Thor stated calmly. "Are you?"

"Yes, I am fine." Loki said. "Kia has me working, but I not too burdened by it. Truth be told I enjoy the tasks, but don't tell her that." Thor felt his lips twitch up slightly; it had been too long since he'd last heard his brother joke about something.

"What are you doing here, anyhow?" Loki looked over Thor's head and shrugged his shoulders.

"I landed on her doorstep and she took me in. I stayed at first, because this place offered a hideaway where I could plan for revenge but… those plans seem to have fallen by the wayside."

"And what has replaced them?" Thor asked cautiously.

"A search for my own identity, I suppose you could say." Loki replied. "Coming to terms with myself." He gestured to himself, indicating the proof of his real parentage. "I feel at peace here."

"You wish to stay." Thor guessed.

"For the time being, yes." Loki's gaze flicked back to meet Thor's. "Is that possible, though?"

"What do you mean?" Thor felt his brow knit in confusion.

"Your new friends, will they not want me to be brought back in for my crimes?" Loki sighed, rolling his eyes. His skin was slowly returning to the familiar pale, creamy colour Thor was familiar with and the carmine eyes slowly bleeding back into poison green.

"Their concern was more making sure you didn't do any more damage. I have yet to inform them of the punishment that was inflicted on you, it was too painful for me to think about." Thor admitted. Loki's eyes softened.

"I remember you fought for me, protested my punishment." He said, his tone vaguely surprised. "What difference would the truth of my punishment be to them, though?"

"Most are very righteous, Steve in particular, they do not necessarily believe in what they term corporeal punishment." Thor explained. "And perhaps if you spoke of why you did what you did, it would help as well."

"Perhaps…" Loki was doubtful, which in Thor's mind was understandable. He couldn't help feeling hopeful however and instinctively he wrapped his arms around Loki and pulled him into a hug that would crush the bones of one of his mortal friends. Loki let out a wheezing sound, but did not try to struggle away or injure Thor for his impertinence.

"I have missed you greatly, my brother." Thor said, choking up. He heard a shuddering sigh that seemed to suggest that Loki was holding back tears of his own.

"I have missed you too." Loki finally admitted, voice hoarse with emotion.

"Come brother, it is 'time to face the music' as mortals like to say." Thor released Loki and waited anxiously to see if his brother would try to run. Loki eyed him warily through suspiciously watery eyes, but walked towards the stairs, allowing Thor to walk beside him.

Thor's friends looked up as they entered the kitchen. Steve looked a little shell-shocked, but Thor would ask about that later. The young wolf-woman smiled and nodded at them, seeming completely unconcerned by all the fuss going on in her house.

"Well now, I do believe it's decision time." She stated calmly. Thor saw out of the corner of his eye Loki swallow hard, and put a protective arm around Loki's shoulders.

"The logical thing would be to take him in." Bruce said slowly, a little uncertainly. "Give him back to Asgard?" Thor felt Loki tense up.

"No, my friend, I don't think that would be wise." Thor quietly explained the punishment that Odin had set down for Loki. "And if he were to be taken back, Odin would find something worse."

"If we go to Fury he might just give him up simply to keep the peace." Clint growled out. "I don't like where this is heading."

"She has managed to keep him in line." Natasha conceded, staring hard at Loki. Loki's face coloured slightly and he looked away from her. "And as Miss Kia mentioned, he's not the only one with a great amount of blood on his hands, and I was not detained."

"The lady's got a point." Tony drawled. "I don't think Fury will go for making him a part of the team though."

"And he has in fact been behaving himself?" Steve demanded of Kia.

"He's not an unruly child, even if his actions do indicate otherwise sometimes, but yes, he has behaved. The most nefarious he gets is sticking chairs to the ceiling or turning my hair some outrageous colour." Kia laughed at their incredulous faces.

"And then she sneaks potions into my food to turn me colours or give me fur or scales." Loki retorted. "It's delightful."

Steve stared thoughtfully at Loki, who stared back for a moment before looking away again. He stood up and Thor couldn't help but tense, though Steve didn't look as though he were going to go on the attack. "I want to hear what you have to say for yourself, before I make a decision."

"What I have to say?" Loki said, looking a little stunned. Steve nodded. "I…" He sighed and closed his eyes, and then opened them again. "Honestly, things got out of hand. I never meant… all I wanted was some recognition, some sign that I was just as good as my brother and that I deserved his recognition too."

"Loki, I never meant…"

"No, I know. We were as brothers are meant to be, knowing more about each other than others, but still managing to unintentionally harm each other with petty words and actions." Loki gulped. "When I let go, it was because I believed there was nothing I could do to ever be worth anything, and everything just came crashing down. I fell for so long, I went a little mad, and then the Chitauri found me, and made it worse."

"How so?" Clint demanded.

"I was tortured, both physically, and mentally." Loki twitched at the memories he'd so carefully buried. "When they were sure I was properly conditioned, they let me recover, whispering about how I could still rule, so long as I didn't fail them. Half of my motivation was fear, and the other half madness."

"You think they'll come for you?" Bruce asked. "The Chitauri, I mean, you did fail them, after all."

"While I was being punished I did not think much on it, nor have I here, but I am safe, so long as I stay in this house and this shop. It's only seen by those who have need of it. Evidently that includes brothers who wish only to find their lost sibling."

"I think we should let things be." Steve suggested. Clint gave him a look of incredulous disbelief. "Natasha said it, some of us have done just as bad and we're not in jail. Loki seems to be doing some community service of a sort, and I think, so long as he stays out of trouble, we can leave well enough alone. You heard what he would go back to on Asgard, and quite frankly I don't trust Fury that much with him either."

"Cap's got a point." Tony conceded. "I mean, we beat him once, if he decides to go bad again, we can do it again."

"Insufferable mortal." Loki muttered. Tony just blew him a kiss in reply.

"Well, we know where to find him, anyways." Natasha said, standing up. "I agree with Steve, I see no reason to take him in and potentially just make him angry again." Loki stepped aside as the Avengers got up almost as one to head to the door.

"Will you allow me to visit you, brother?" Thor asked before leaving.

"Somehow I doubt I could dissuade you." Loki said, rolling his eyes. "Yes, I would like that." Thor smiled and practically skipped out the door, happy that everything was right in his world again.

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Star: Review plz!


	18. Chapter 18

Star: Time for a little bit more excitement, I think! I own nothing but the plot and my own little OCs.

"Oh, dear." Kia sighed, looking in the cupboard that held her potion-making supplies.

"What is it?" Loki asked.

"I'm out of unicorn hair, I need it for this potion." Kia explained. "Thankfully it doesn't go in until it's stopped boiling, but I should have checked."

"Must be going senile." Loki joked. Kia gave him a stern look. "Do you know anywhere that does have unicorn hair?"

"Yes, I believe Ferd and Helena have some." Kia said. "I know you don't like going outside, but…"

"I suppose I can go." Loki dramatically sighed. "Only because you'll grump at me if I don't." Kia stuck her tongue out at him and chuckled.

"Many thanks, Loki, you are a good friend." Kia was as genuine as always and Loki was happy for that. He reminisced about the last couple weeks while he pulled on a long overcoat and got ready to go. Not much had changed, besides Thor coming to visit him every couple of days and the rest of the Avengers going to visit Kia. They'd grown somewhat comfortable with him, though Natasha and Clint still tracked his movements if he was in the same room. Oh well, he couldn't expect them to not be cautious.

Working in the shop was pleasant too. It was nice to have people who appreciated him and spoke to him without that condescending tone that he'd come to hate so much on Asgard. Even Aly had stopped growling at him, though she still wasn't nearly friendly. He waved goodbye to both of them and headed out the door, unconcerned. After all, what could happen?

%&%&%&%

Thor was sparring with Steve in one of the training rooms. Really Steve was the only one who could safely practice hand-to-hand with him, not counting Tony in his suit, or Bruce when he was the Other Guy. Steve had the advantage of his super-soldier enhancements, but even so, Thor was careful to check his blows.

"**Sirs, Mister Banner is attempting to get your attention." **JARVIS' voice interrupted. Thor and Steve broke off, Steve panting for air, to look at Bruce. Thor noticed the good doctor looked a little uneasy.

"What's up, Bruce?" Steve asked, his stance saying that he was aware of Bruce's discomfort and ready for a fight.

"It's… you'd better come see." Bruce sighed, rubbing at his temples. Thor frowned, whatever it was, it couldn't be good. They followed Bruce down to the lower levels, down onto the containment cell level, and dread began coiling in Thor's gut. At the end of the cell block a smaller version of the Other Guy's containment pod from the Helicarrier without the option of launching it at the earth stood waiting. Bruce directed them there.

Thor groaned when he saw what lay inside. His brother, Loki, lay sprawled on his side, hands shackled behind his back and the metal gag silencing him. His eyes were slightly open, but they were glassy and vague.

"He's sedated." Bruce explained. "Fury's not taking any chances." Thor knelt and put his hand on the glass.

"Loki, brother." He rasped out. Loki seemed to hear him and shifted slightly, turning glassy green eyes on him, a faint muffled groan escaping him. "I cannot allow this."

"Thor, we can't just…we have to have a plan. I may not like everything Fury does, but we can't make it look like we're going AWOL." Steve whispered. JARVIS ran the place, and he trusted the AI, but he didn't know if Fury had any other bugs in place.

Thor let out a shuddering sigh and nodded his head. "You are right, Steve, I mustn't let my temper get away with me. Odin knows it's gotten me into enough trouble in the past." He placed his hand on the glass once more, tapping it lightly to bring Loki's drugged attention back to him. "I will come back for you brother, I will not let anything happen to you, I promise." Loki stared at Thor for a moment and then slowly closed his eyes. To Thor it meant that Loki trusted that he would keep his promise.

Thor allowed Steve to tug him to his feet and walk him out of the cell bank. "We're all in agreement on this." Bruce said. "Clint's not too happy about it, but he doesn't want to feel guilty about handing Loki back to be tortured, so he'll deal."

"We'd best move quickly, the AllFather will come for Loki quickly if he's allowed to know." Thor said. He would not allow anything to happen to Loki, even if it meant going against his own father.

%&%&%&%

It was late, almost dawn in fact, but none of them had figured out a plan to get Loki out without rousing suspicion. "This would be so much easier if it wasn't Fury." Clint grumbled. "Or if we had some kind of magic to keep anyone from seeing us."

"I hate magic…" Tony complained. "Can't attack it, armor can't protect me against it… wait a second!"

"What?" Bruce asked tiredly.

"Kia, why the hell haven't we thought of her?" Tony cried, thumping the table. "She's got magic, and friends who are used to slipping under the radar."

"She must be going out of her mind with worry, too." Steve added. "Now I feel bad for forgetting about her."

"I can go down and get her." Natasha offered. "Fury doesn't think much of me wandering off in the middle of the night."

"Or early morning, as it stands now." Bruce corrected her, stifling a yawn.

"Get her on a phone with us so we can plan together, or get her here if you can." Steve told Natasha. Natasha stood up, and then the alarm went off.

"**Sir, there's been a security breach on the containment level."** JARVIS said, and if an AI could sound worried, this one sounded downright terrified.

"Loki." Thor gasped, summoning Mjolnir and running for the stairs, ignoring the warning shouts from the others. He jumped down the stairs, landing on the containment level with a resounding crack, which probably meant the stairs would need attention later, but he ignored it and ripped the door off its hinges, stepping onto the cell block.

He had an instant to realize there were Chitauri in the building before he was hit and blasted back a good ten feet, crashing through a wall. He managed to catch a glimpse of a purple-skinned monstrosity among the Chitauri and his brother being dragged from his cell before they destroyed the wall and flew out of the building.

He staggered to his feet as the rest of the team came charging in. "Damnit Thor, at least get your comm on before running off like that." Steve barked, throwing said device at Thor. Thor took it, clutching at his abused ribs and placed it over his ear.

"Chitauri, they took Loki." He gasped out.

"He's back with them?" Clint asked, face grim. Thor shook his head. "You're sure?"

"I am certain." Thor said. "He was dragged as a prisoner, not an ally."

"**Avengers, you need to get to street level, now." **Fury's voice echoed on the comms, his tone the darkest they'd ever heard it. Natasha hopped on the Hulk's back, Steve grabbed hold of Tony and Thor grabbed hold of Clint. They exited through the hole the Chitauri had made and half-fell, half-flew down to the street.

It was already a mess, Chitauri everywhere, with SHIELD agents, police and military men trying to hold them back while simultaneously getting civilians out of the way. The Chitauri were most densely clustered about a half a block away, where something that looked like portal out of the Stargate universe was set up, and popping out new Chitauri by the second.

"Can anyone get a better look at that thing?" Steve asked.

"**Way ahead of you, Cap.**" Clint said through the comm. He had already scaled up onto a third floor balcony and was setting up his bow. **"It's bad, guys. The portal seemed to be powered by some kind of generator, and it looks like Loki's hooked up to it somehow. He doesn't look too good." **

"They're using his magic to fuel the portal." Thor growled. He swore in a language none of them understood, but they got the sentiment.

"Alright, plan of attack, get the civilians out, keep the Chitauri contained, and get that portal closed." Steve yelled.

"SHEILD is working on evac, focus on the Chitauri." Fury stated, appearing behind them. He had one of the weapons that Tony had nicknamed 'The Coulsonator' in hand and was already looking a little singed. "We've got to move quickly." Everyone could agree with that and went to work.

The sun came up and illuminated a dispiriting scene. Every attempt to push the Chitauri back had failed and every single time they'd gotten close to the portal they'd been blasted back. They'd gotten close enough to see the smirk on the blue monstrosity who seemed to be the leader of all this, and the agonized plea on Loki's face, but never close enough to take out the portal.

"We're getting nowhere." Fury's voice was heavy with exhaustion and resignation. "We're not going to be able to keep containing them, we've lost too many."

"We can't let them get out of this city." Steve gasped hoarsely. His team looked back at him, and he found the same grim resignation on their faces. "Call in the air strike, Fury." Steve ordered, his heart heavy.

Fury brought his hand to his comm, but a commanding voice rang out, stilling them all. "Not yet, we're not done yet."

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Star: Evil cliffy!


	19. Chapter 19

Everyone turned and stared as Kia hopped over the rubble that littered the ground, clad in a breastplate with a shield in one hand and a ridiculously massive broadsword in the other. The shield was emblazoned with a blue wolf howling and the breastplate showed the same motif. Aly loped along beside her, armed with a pair of long knives.

"You should be evacuating, miss." Fury said tersely.

"I would rather not see this city destroyed while there are more who can defend it. Forgive me, it took a little longer than I expected to muster everyone." She calmly informed him. He scowled at her, but she merely smiled.

"Everyone?" Steve repeated. Kia grinned, rather wildly it seemed and then threw back her head and howled. The sound echoed strangely and even the Chitauri paused at the sound. Kia stepped further up onto the rubble as figures appeared out of the dust, moving into place alongside SHEILD agents, police and the army. Some were human, or rather looked human, others, less so. All held weapons, guns, swords, axes, spears and all looked ready for a fight.

"Take your orders from me, Captain Rogers, or Director Fury." Kia called. "No arguments about civilian help director, we'd rather be allowed to go down fighting for our city than have you blow it up." She stated calmly. She lifted her sword and then brought it down in a swishing movement. The horde of humans, centaurs, Minotaurs, and assorted other creatures roared and charged from all directions, engaging the enemy.

Clint looked on below at the turn of events and calmly selected his next target. The door to the roof that he was perched on banged open and he turned quickly, bow at the ready. A dozen tall, blonde men gracefully loped out and set up on either side of him, drawing bows. He saw the pointed ears and smirked; elves, of course.

"You look like you could use a hand, brother archer." One of the elves said calmly.

"Just don't get in my way." Clint grunted and then shot down a Chitauri going after a centaur. He watched in satisfaction as more, elves, humans and other creatures, appeared on more roofs and balconies, with guns and bows, shooting at the Chitauri above and below.

In the sky Tony and Thor were popping off as many of the flying Chitauri as they could. Thankfully the current portal was too small for one of the 'flying ugly-fish', as Tony put it, but there were plenty of targets to disarm.

"TONY LOOK OUT!" Thor bellowed and Tony turned in time to see a Chitauri bearing down on him. The only thing he could do was brace himself, but before he was hit a giant ball of fire was blasted at the Chitauri, effectively barbequing it. All the sudden the sky was filled with griffins and seven-foot tall dragons, tearing at the Chitauri with vigour. Tony looked at Thor, who shrugged and the two of them went right back to blasting Chitauri along with their new allies.

Natasha was battling Chitauri on street level when a small blur attacked the one she was going for, hissing angrily. She glared at Aly as she reloaded her gun. "I had that one." She reprimanded the vampire girl. Aly snorted and moved to cover Natasha's back, the two of them becoming a whirlwind of death.

The Hulk was having a hayday, having been adopted by a group of werewolves who derived as much delight as he did from smashing the Chitauri. Steve led a small unit of Minotaurs, preventing a phalanx of Chitauri from breaking through the scant barriers they'd erected around the two block radius of the battle.

"It's good, but it ain't enough." Fury informed Kia, who surveyed the battlefield calmly.

"I am aware, director." She replied and then jumped down from her perch. "It's time to go hunting. Get the word out to my people, tell them to clear the way, they'll understand." With that she charged into the middle of the fray.

"**Tell the civilians fighting with us to clear the way." **Fury spoke over the comms. The Avengers relayed the information and an almost unanimous roar of approval went up.

"CLEAR THE WAY! QUICKBLADE, QUICKBLADE!" The chant went up as Kia ran through the battle, her people and the rest taking out the Chitauri that tried to halt her. She grabbed onto a passing werewolf and hauled herself up on his back, using her massive sword to cut down any Chitauri foolish enough to get close to her. All the while the chant of her name swelled and echoed through the streets.

The werewolf leapt into the cluster of Chitauri guarding the portal and Kia leapt off his back and was snatched into the air by a griffin. It flew a little higher and then dropped her right over top of the portal generator. Kia let out a wild howl as she fell and plunged her sword deep into the metal workings of the generator.

The bluish energy of the portal began to fluctuate and electricity, or something like it, surged along the sword blade and crackled around Kia. She bared her teeth in a snarl and forced the sword deeper. The generator let out a high pitched whine and then a small explosion rocked it, the portal flickering and going dead.

Kia ducked and a swarm of arrows took out the Chitauri trying to attack her. Loki looked up as she loomed over him, then hacked through the chains binding him to the generator. He wearily pulled his muzzle off, the portal had been draining his magic away from him. Kia grabbed hold of him and lifted her other arm into the air for the griffin to grab hold of.

The two of them were deposited near the edge of the battle. "You're glowing." Loki pointed out, wavering unsteadily. The energy that had been released by Kia had settled about her in a glowing blue aura. She looked at it with interest as Steve, Fury and Ferdinand came running.

"Drink this." Kia said to Loki, taking a small vial from her pants. Loki took it with a shaky hand and swallowed. Almost immediately he felt a zap of adrenaline go through him and most of his weakness disappeared.

"Portal's closed, we just have to take out the last of the Chitauri, and their boss." Steve said.

"Thanos." Loki growled balefully, the name of his hated tormentor. Kia's ears twitched and she gazed at him. "I want a chance at him." She smiled.

"I thought you might. Ferd." Ferdinand put down his axe for a moment and took the tied bundle he had on his back and laid it before Loki. The weapon revealed looked something like Gungnir, though made with the finest blue steel and far sharper looking than any weapon that Loki had seen.

"Amos the GreatSmith finished your weapon." Kia said softly. "Now then, shall we show Thanos just what happens when he messes with My children?" Loki looked up at that, seeing something strange in the depths of Kia's eyes. He recalled her saying that she had been a vessel of the gods before. Oh, Thanos was not going to know what hit him if that was the case.

"We'll show him not to mess with our earth." Loki vowed, taking the weapon in hand. Kia's grin was hard and grim as they stood together and walked back into the battle. The two of them carved a path through the now panicking Chitauri, the chant erupting around them anew. "LOKI, QUICKBLADE, LOKI, QUICKBLADE!"

"This world is ours to protect, these people are **my children." **Loki didn't turn at the deepening, otherworldly quality that Kia's voice had taken. The Goddess was here, and she was angry. Loki focused on getting to Thanos, who watched their approach with something akin to alarm in his eyes.

"He is mine." Loki ground out. "Mine to repay for all that he did to me, torturing, manipulating me, making me into his puppet. I must do this, to square my debt with this world, with those children of yours that I hurt by what I did."

"**So be it, Trickster." **The voice sent shivers down Loki's spine. It was motherhood personified, a lioness protecting her cubs and he felt sorry for those that stood in their way. A glance at Kia showed no sign of the Goddess inhabiting her, besides the darkening of her eyes to near-black. She smiled at him, and it was both Kia and not.

Thanos directed a blast of energy at them, which Kia-Goddess deflected easily. Thanos threw everything he could at them, all with the same results and Loki had the satisfaction of seeing fear in his eyes as they ploughed through the dwindling numbers of Chitauri.

"**Now, Trickster." **The Goddess lay her hand on Loki's back and he felt unparalleled power surge through him. With a leap that seemed to channel the power of all the big cats of this world he launched himself at Thanos, feeling him try to beat him back, but the power that protected him deflected all and Loki buried his weapon in Thanos' chest.

"You wish to be with Death, now go." Loki hissed, focussing the power within him and forcing it out through his weapon. Thanos seemed to disintegrate completely, leaving nothing behind but a few pieces of smoking armour.

Silence fell for a moment and then an enormous, triumphant cheer arose from all those assembled. Loki turned and found everyone pointing at him and chanting his name. He stared, overwhelmed by the response. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked down into Kia's once again blue eyes. She grinned at him.

"How does it feel to be the hero for a change?"

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Star: How do you like them apples?


	20. Chapter 20

Star: I own nothing!

Kia held up her sword, waiting for silence. "Friends, colleagues, people of New York! For the first time since the days of King Arthur we stand together, human and supernatural creatures, united to protect the place we love." A cheer went up at her words. "We have allowed ourselves to remain in shadow for many centuries, choosing to exist only in myths to avoid conflict with you. But you have nothing to fear from us. We have been your coworkers, your friends, your relatives, we have been beside you all these years, secretly, but now the secret is out!"

Kia paused and looked over all of them. Steve took a moment to look around too. His crew of Minotaurs were sitting near him, giving him grins and salutes when they noticed him looking. Fury was speaking to a tall, elderly red dragon, Natasha had Aly perched on her shoulders, Barton was still up on the rooftops, wowing the elves with his trick arrows, Thor and Tony were buried in a company of griffins and Hulk was happily in the center of a pack of werewolves, who were all wagging their tails, quite happy to include him in their pack.

"We are just regular people, some of us have magic, but then so do some humans. Our only wish is to live among you in peace, as your friends, as we have for many years. I urge all those of our peoples watching internationally to come out and reveal yourselves, as well those humans who know of us go out and stand beside your friends, lovers and coworkers. We are here, we are here to stay."

The end of her speech came with another cheer. The Hulk roared and then turned back into Bruce abruptly. The werewolves let out laughing yips and began to smother him with licks. "Hey, hey, okay guys, come on!" Bruce laughed, trying to fend off the enthusiastic creatures.

"I think Bruce has been adopted." Natasha observed, setting Aly down on the ground so that she could run back to Kia. Kia and Loki walked towards the slowly reassembling Avengers. Fury eyed Loki suspiciously, who merely gave him a tired, uncertain smile in reply.

"I think we need to have some discussions." Fury finally said.

"You would be better off speaking with one of the members of the council, to be perfectly frank, I have no place in the politics of my people." Kia stated calmly.

"And yet you were the one to lead them into battle, that's leader enough for me." Fury pointed out.

"Alright Director, I'll come." Kia sighed reluctantly. "I will say I do not like being dragged into politics."

"When it's not on your terms at least." Loki murmured in her ear, making her smile.

"He comes too." Fury ordered, nodding at Loki.

"He will be leaving with me Director, otherwise we are going to have a big problem." Kia said sternly. Fury looked as though he were going to argue, but Tarren, the red dragon, placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You would do well to listen Director, there is a reason we defer to her in times of crisis, as well there is a reason we call her the Ageless." Tarren said quietly. "The council will be most upset if something happens to her."

"Very well." Fury ground out, glaring balefully at Kia, who smiled back at him, infuriatingly calm. Loki smiled to himself, he knew Kia was just doing that to frustrate Fury further. "Bruce, leave your new friends behind." The werewolves whined.

"He'll play with you later, your potions are going to wear off soon, so you should probably go find some clothes." Kia chuckled. The werewolves barked and sped off.

"Nice fellas." Bruce commented, brushing fur off his chest and arms.

"Werewolves look big and scary, but they're big puppies up until you threaten something they love." Kia explained, following Fury into the Avengers tower.

"How'd you mobilize your people so quickly?" Steve asked.

"I've been feeling something hanging over this city for a couple days. Since the last time I felt that the city was attacked by aliens I asked my friends to spread the word to be ready. We all were in agreement after the last time that we would fight for our city if it came again." Kia explained.

"And yet you say you're not a leader in this society of yours." Fury questioned.

"I command respect, I cannot help that. I refuse to deal with the politics directly, though I have been known to mess with them sometimes." Kia admitted. "My only task, the only one that I want, is to help and protect those who cannot do so on their own."

"A goddamned saint." Fury muttered. They came out into a meeting room.

"Can we keep this brief, I and Aly have blood, or whatever life fluid those things have, all over us." Kia sighed, pulling off her breastplate and letting it clank to the floor.

"I think we all have that problem." Loki observed. He yelped as Thor lifted him into a bonecrushing hug. "Thor, put me down, you oaf! You're going to squeeze the life out of me."

"Sorry, brother." Thor grinned sheepishly. "I was quite worried about you."

"I was worried about me too." Loki murmured.

"Judging by your place in this invasion, you were not their ally this time around." Fury said, sitting down.

"No, in a way I never was." Loki said. "I was a puppet, controlled by the promise of revenge if I won and the promise of pain if I failed, pain I already been given a taste of. I do not excuse my actions, however, and hopefully my actions today have erased some of… the red in my ledger." Loki cast a furtive glance in Natasha's direction. She nodded slightly at him.

"I vouch for him, sir." Steve said. "I think we all do."

"Oh?" Fury stared at all of them, hard.

"We found him, couple weeks back, working in Miss Kia's shop." Steve explained. "He's been working for her the whole time. We've watched him interact with her and her customers, and we believe he's sincere about the whole thing."

"You didn't tell me about finding him." It was an accusation.

"You would have had him arrested, and most likely brought back to Asgard, where he would have been tortured once more." Thor growled. "I would not have allowed such a thing."

"Neither would I." Kia added. "As I said before, I protect those I feel are in my keeping. Loki was brought to my doorstep, and I don't believe in coincidences."

"And you expect me to believe he's content to live as a shopkeeper." Fury retorted.

"If I may speak for myself?" Loki asked quietly. Fury glared at him, and then nodded. "At the very core, all I ever wanted to accomplish was to belong, to be worthy of belonging. That was why I tried to kill the frost giants. Trying to take Midgard was proving that I was just as good as the rest of the Asgardians, maybe more. But in that shop, I do belong, and I do feel worth. Talking, helping those people, I feel at home, and I don't feel the need to prove myself anymore, because I know that other people's opinions don't matter. I know you've probably developed something to keep me from using my power, you are smart. I would be happy to accept that in return for being allowed to live peacefully."

"You're sincere about that, you would not fight me?"

"Not if it meant you wouldn't fight Kia on taking me back home with her." Loki shrugged. "I would consider it a further penance for my crimes."

"What do you have to say, Barton? You think I should make a different call on this one too?" Fury asked. Clint looked at Loki, who stared steadily back, throat bobbing in a nervous swallow.

"Made a different call on Natasha, didn't I? Kia's got him pretty wrapped around her finger, I don't think she'll allow him to get into any trouble."

"You've got good judgement and since Miss Kia has already… informed me that Loki would be going home with her, I suppose my hands are tied." Fury pointed a finger at Loki. "The instant you put a toe out of line, we're coming after you though."

"Understood." Loki bowed his head, trying to hide his smile of relief.

"Now…" Tarren intervened. "If you want to talk politics…"

Kia gestured for Loki and the Avengers to follow her out. "They'll be some time, our system has become quite complex in order to both stay hidden and make sure people don't compromise our safety by being stupid." She explained. "That went well."

"Indeed, and now my brother is a free man once more." Thor wrapped an arm around Loki's shoulders.

"We should celebrate." Tony suggested, to sighs and tired groans.

"I don't know about Kia, or Aly, but I only wish to have a nice hot shower and go to sleep for a good long time." Loki sighed. Aly growled in agreement, and to everyone's surprise, nuzzled up to Loki.

"Well now, I told you she'd warm up to you." Kia chuckled.

"It only took almost dying for it to happen." Loki shook his head. "Let's go home. I shall see you soon, brother."

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Star: Review plz!


	21. Chapter 21

Star: Last chapter! I own nothing but the plot and my OCs.

"Where are we going again?" Darcy asked, playing with her cellphone.

"It is a surprise." Thor replied, happily holding Jane's hand as they and the rest of the Avengers walked down the street. It had taken four months since the second incident in New York to pry Jane away from her work, and then of course Darcy had to come, because in her words, she was the only one who could get Jane to shut up and actually get some sleep or eat.

"Yeah, come on Darcy, we can't tell you if it's a surprise." Tony teased. He had taken a shine to Darcy, after he'd found out she'd tazed Thor, which he found uncontrollably funny. She also had a habit of trying to provoke Bruce into turning into the Hulk, just like Tony enjoyed doing.

They skirted around a small family of centaurs arguing over a map. Supernaturals were now a familiar sight, not only in New York, but everywhere. There had been clashes of course in the early days, but with SHIELD and the supernatural council working overtime, things had settled down. Accepting the supernaturals had the unintended effect of reducing human-mutant tensions as well, so there was much less for the Avengers to help out the X-Men with. It was nice, even if it was a little boring, but there was always Doom and whatever alien race was trying to take over that week, so the Avengers stayed in business.

Thor of course was at the front of their party and opened the door for Jane, allowing her to pass through first. Jane stepped inside and stopped, looking around with wide eyes while the Avengers smiled at her and Darcy's expression.

"Well, this was definitely worth the walk." Darcy finally said.

Thor looked around and spotted Loki, in his Jotun form, chatting with Ferd while holding Samuel, who was trying to squirm away. "Brother!" Thor called joyously. Loki smiled and waved at him with the hand not occupied with Samuel. "Come Jane, it's time you met my brother."

Jane couldn't help but stare at the blue-skinned, red-eyed man who watched her approach, a smile in his eyes. The Minotaur baby he held in his arms bleated happily at the sight of Thor and stretched out chubby arms to the massive Asgardian. Thor chuckled and took Samuel from Loki, making the infant squeal with delight and clutch at his hair.

"Oh, he's so sweet." Jane cooed. Samuel looked at her for a second and then giggled, trying to grab at her hair.

"You'll want to watch out for him, he likes to pull and he's a lot stronger than human babies." Ferd warned. "I'm Ferdinand, by the way. You must be Jane, Thor doesn't shut up about you." Jane took the massive hand that Ferd offered her and shook it.

"You'd think I'd be used to seeing people like you around by now." She stammered out.

"It'll be awhile." Ferd said patiently. "We understand that."

"Hey cool, you're like, really big." Darcy said, wandering over. "And you're blue, how does that work?"

"I'm a Jotun, a frost giant. Hello, you must Darcy, I am Loki." Loki smiled at her and then changed back into his green-eyed, pale-skinned form.

"That is totally badass." Darcy said approvingly. "So what's a big god doing working in a shop. I mean it's a cool place, I found a history of werewolf clans that looks interesting, but isn't it a bit… beneath you?"

"Well, I have to earn my keep some way, and since I don't pay rent, this is the alternative." Loki deadpanned. Darcy blinked at him rapidly a couple times and then grinned and punched him lightly in the arm.

"I like you." She declared. "You're funny."

"You tazed my brother, I like you too." Loki joked. Thor snorted and whapped Loki across the back of the head, but he was smiling. Darcy then noticed the little girl hiding behind Loki.

"She's not yours, is she?" She asked, pointing to the little girl, who stared at her with expressionless black eyes.

"No, this is Aly, she is Kia's assistant, and a vampire."

"Wow, I was going to say she looked like a perfect contender for a horror movie, but that's even better." Darcy laughed. Aly let out a short chuffing sound, which was her version of laughter. "What do you have to say, small stuff? Ever thought about pretending to haunt some place, just for a few laughs?" Aly tilted her head at her.

"She does not speak. The one who changed her did unspeakable things to her and as a result she no longer talks." Loki explained. "Up until a few months ago, she did not like me, though I can hardly blame her, as I did throw Kia into a wall."

"You should have bit him for that." Darcy informed Aly, who grinned at her, coming forward and taking her hand. "Well, hi to you too."

"Aly dear, why don't you bring your new friend upstairs?" Kia called. "Loki, can you close up the shop while I get our guests settled upstairs?"

"Of course." Loki said. "Sorry to cut your visit short, Ferd."

"Ah, we should be getting this little tyke back to his mommy anyways." Ferd replied, taking Samuel back from Thor. "Nice to meet you." He said to Jane and Darcy, then headed out the door.

"We have the coolest lives." Darcy said, allowing herself to be led upstairs by Aly.

"Go, I'll catch up." Thor told Jane. Jane nodded and headed upstairs with the rest of them. Thor watched Loki shoo out the last few customers and begin to close up the shop. Loki went about his business with a practiced ease. "It's always interesting to see you around here."

"In what way do you mean?" Loki asked, pulling down the blinds on the windows.

"Prince of Asgard, a common working man." Thor said softly.

"I hardly think this place is common." Loki retorted. "But I understand what you mean. I think that I am not to be trusted with too much power, honestly. It is too easy to become corrupted. Here I am useful, I am wanted, and above all, I am appreciated."

"Yes, I see that. You are content here, at first I wasn't sure I believed it, but you really are." Thor said happily.

"Does Odin know where I am yet?" Loki asked suddenly.

"Nay, I've not yet told my father." Thor sighed. "I do not think he would understand. Perhaps I could bring him here, while you are working in your Jotun form, I'm certain Kia would be able to protect you."

"We'll see, I'll discuss it with her." Loki agreed. "Now, shall we join the others?" Thor grinned and threw an arm around Loki's shoulder. He couldn't help but make the analogy that Loki's heart of ice had been melted. It was horribly cliché, but it fit perfectly.

THE END


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